The Dr. Irving and Phyliss Snider Campus for Jewish seniors is a ‘campus of care’ that provides care and services to the Jewish elderly of British Columbia. Comprising the Louis Brier Home and Hospital and the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg (of Baltimore) Residence, the site provides residential and care services for over 270 residents.
With a vision of being "leaders in the provision of seniors care through developing and achieving standards of excellence in service, clinical practice, education, and research", we provide a rich and homelike environment that focuses on each resident as an individual.
At the Louis Brier Home and Hospital, which is funded by the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, we provide complex care for 218 residents, which includes 17 rooms for residents with dementia and special care needs.
Our Weinberg Residence provides 20 multi-level care beds that include long-term stay, palliative support, respite, convalescent care, and short-term out of town stays, as well as 40 assisted living suites for those who wish to live independently with the support of meals, personal assistance, and regular social and recreational events.
We take great pride in our nationally accredited services that involve committed staff, volunteers, and family members.
The Louis Brier Home and Hospital – History & Details
Over 65 years ago a group of fourteen friends know as the Hebrew Men’s Cultural Club contributed five dollars each from their weekly poker game to create the Jewish community’s first ‘Home’ for the elderly. In 1946 a suitable building with a dining room, parlor and sufficient rooms to accommodate thirteen people was purchased. The Home was staffed mainly by a Ladies Auxiliary and support also came from the Vancouver Jewish Community Fund and Council, and many volunteers.
Increased demand lead to the purchase of a new building at 54th & Oak in 1959, providing care for 35 residents. In 1968 a bequest by the late Louis Brier, a Jewish philanthropist, allowed for the purchase of four acres on the corner of 41st & Oak and this new Louis Brier Home & Hospital housed 109 residents, both Jews and non-Jews.
In 1977, the provincial Long Term Care Program was introduced and the Home and Hospital became a long-term care facility. The extra funding from the government helped to add 44 rooms in 1978, bringing the number of residents to 153. The rooms were filled immediately. In 1992 another expansion was celebrated with a new total of 218 beds; 94 Extended Care residents on the new second floor, and 124 Intermediate Care residents on the main floor. In response to the ongoing needs of our elderly community, an Alzheimer’s Special Care Unit was included. The Home is owned and operated by the Jewish Home for the Aged of BC, which was incorporated and registered as a non-profit society in 1950.
We are also very fortunate to receive an annual donation of $40,000 from the Gaming Commission.
A further expansion occurred in 2003 with the completion of the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg (of Baltimore) Residence. The Weinberg Residence has 40 private pay and subsidized Assisted Living apartments and 20 private pay multi-level care beds. Now, the Louis Brier Home and Hospital and the Weinberg Residence have flourished in our strong community. The site has a gift shop, hairdressing salon and physiotherapy room. The on-site Synagogue provides daily Shabbat and High Holyday services. Our special holiday observances and other programs and services provide the kind of Home our residents and their families could never find anywhere else in British Columbia. Our Passover Seders and Rosh Hashanah dinners are important and special celebrations; family members and friends are welcome to attend and participate in all festival celebrations. We adhere to Jewish dietary laws and our strict kosher kitchens are supervised by a Mashgiach.
Our vision is to be leaders in the provision of seniors care to the Jewish elderly of the 21st century through developing and achieving standards of excellence in service, clinical practice, education, research, and community outreach.
Care at Louis Brier Home & Hospital is provided by Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses and Care Aides. They receive support from a Nursing Leader and a Clinical Nurse Educator. Care is provided to address complex care needs, which include help with all daily living needs, including grooming, toileting, bathing, personal care, hygiene and feeding as needed. Prescriptions are administered according to the care plan. Louis Brier is a teaching facility and Nursing, Therapeutic Recreation, Dietary, Rehab and Social Work Students all benefit from practical experience at Louis Brier.
Our Rehabilitation team consists of a Physiotherapist, an Occupational Therapist and Rehabilitation Assistants. Functional mobility, restorative care, rehabilitation post injury, seating, wheelchair maintenance, falls prevention, skin integrity and continuation of activities of daily living are all foci of the Rehabilitation Department.
Three balanced kosher meals are served each day and nourishments are provided as requested. A variety of treats are offered daily at afternoon tea. There is a fridge stocked with juice and sandwiches at each Nursing Station. Families are welcome to join residents for any meal.
Support from Social Workers is available to assist with information about long term care, and to coordinate all aspects of admission and orientation, “problem solving”, liaising with the community, assisting with documents and referrals to community resources.
Therapeutic Activity Programs are available. Residents are welcome to participate in any programs of interest on both floors at any time.
The UBC Geriatric Dentistry program operates out of our dental suite. A Podiatrist, an Audiologist and a Massage Therapist make regular visits to residents in the Home. There are two hair salons available to residents on the Snider Campus. The Louis Brier salon is located on the second floor near the Rehab room. The Weinberg Salon is located on the first floor at the Weinberg Residence. The price lists are posted. Regular appointments are available.
The care team is involved in determining whether a resident would benefit from having a private companion. Companions must either be hired through a private agency or will be connected with the Louis Brier In-House Companion Programme. This programme has been designed and implemented by Louis Brier families.
Louis Brier has an active Resident’s Council which meets monthly.
Our Auxiliary hosts two successful fundraising Teas each year. All proceeds go toward the purchase of medical equipment and resident needs. Our Gift Shop is staffed by dedicated community members who have volunteered years of their lives to the Home. Louis Brier Home & Hospital has almost 250 volunteers who assist with all manner of services to residents, including recreation programs, escorts to medical appointments, rehabilitation services and one-to-one visits.
