ADMISSION INFORMATION

Application for all publicly funded long term care beds is made exclusively through the Public Health Unit in the community where the applicant currently lives. Louis Brier Home & Hospital neither maintains or manages a waitlist.

Prospective applicants must contact a long term Case Manager by calling the Continuing Care department’s Intake office in the local Health Unit. The numbers of the health units are listed here under the Vancouver Community Health Centres. (click here)

The Long Term Case manager will assess the individual’s total care needs including physical, cognitive and social. A person is only eligible for long term care when all other community supports are deemed insufficient and the person is considered to be living in intolerable risk in the community. Examples include being unsafe in taking medications independently, limited mobility, frail of health, significant dementia, dependency on assistance with activities of daily living, risk to caregiver’s own health, and other care needs.

The process for admission from hospital is similar to that described for individuals living in the community. Transition Services Teams in acute care hospitals are involved in discharge planning. When a hospital patient is unable to safely care for him/herself post discharge, the hospital social worker acts as case manager and does the assessment.

In both situations, the assessments and associated paperwork are forwarded to Priority Access. This department of long term care makes decisions as to where individuals are placed in the system. Residents and families are asked to choose a preferred and alternate facility for placement. Where possible, Priority Access will place someone in their first choice. However, if no bed is available the individual is expected to accept alternate placement in the community. The individual is then waitlisted on a transfer list to be moved over to their preferred facility. (Applicants may choose to accept private placement at the Weinberg Multi-Level Care Unit, and this will be considered as the first available bed. There are extra costs associated with Weinberg placement).

All facility admissions happen on a rotation basis. That is, facilities are required to accept which candidates are sent to them, and the admissions follow an order of hospital, community and transfer rotation. So if someone is waiting in another facility, they will be offered the 3rd or 6th or 9th bed available depending on where they are on the transfer list.

The Louis Brier social workers are always available to discuss the process with community members, but Louis Brier has no discretion in offering admission without permission from Priority Access.