Left to right are Louis Brier Home and Hospital staff Jennifer Belen, Nicole Encarnacion, Carol Bucknor, David Keselman (chief executive officer) and Rozanne Kipnes with MLA George Heyman and Louis Brier resident Roberta Gilmore (holding the cheque). (photo from Louis Brier)
Louis Brier Home and Hospital is one of 88 care homes across British Columbia to receive funding to purchase new safety equipment, as part of the Seniors Safety and Quality Improvement Program (or SSQIP, pronounced “SKWIP”) initiative. The Brier will receive $60,576 of the total $2.6 million in provincial funding allocated.
SSQIP is managed by B.C. Care Providers Association (BCCPA), who process applications from all residential care homes that receive public funding for new equipment intended to improve safety and quality of life for residents. Oversight of SSQIP is provided by representatives from the Ministry of Health, BCCPA, Denominational Health Association and SafeCare BC. Approved applicants may receive up to $500 for each publicly funded resident.
“Our government is proud to invest in thisprogram, which will go towards purchasing new beds to help improve safety andquality of life for those living in residential care homes,” said GeorgeHeyman, MLA for Vancouver-Fairview, who presented the cheque at the Brier onDec. 6. “It’s great to see that Louis Brier Home and Hospital and seniors inVancouver will benefit from new equipment.”In addition to beds and mattress purchases,care homes are investing in new shower chairs, tubs, mobility equipment (suchas floor and ceiling lifts), lighting and visual aids, sensory rooms, musictherapy and ergonomic furniture. Preventative and urgent response systems arealso funded to promote both resident and employee safety.For more information, visitbccare.ca/programs/ssqip.