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April 21, 2006
Arts, entertainment, exercise
The Louis Brier offers a host of activities for residents.
EVA COHEN
At the Louis Brier Home and Hospital, residents who come in often
see age and illness as barriers to the pursuit of leisure. This
is why the home has a therapeutic recreation department, offering
programs to help residents stay active.
"We really are central to the daily life of residents,"
said Patricia Lipovetsky, leader of culture, recreation and music
therapy at the Louis Brier. "We are committed to the residents
– for them to live meaningfully and develop interests."
The home allows all residents to practise Judaism as they know it,
and also provides opportunities to learn more about the holidays,
with events such as baking special holiday foods.
"We really do a lot for Jewish holidays," said Lipovetsky.
"There's always a lot of ruach (spirit)."
Among the most important activities available at the home, said
Lipovetsky, are the daily exercise classes. There are also yoga
and tai chi classes, both of which have a large turnout.
"We had to add extra yoga classes because it was so popular,"
said nursing manager Christa Hunt. "The classes are held several
times a week and the residents love it."
An activity available for residents all day long is the computer
lab on the second floor of the Louis Brier. CEO Peter Kafka said
that it's a favorite of many residents.
"Many residents come in here having never used a computer before
and they learn how to here," said Kafka. "They get really
excited about it, because they can send their families and grandchildren
e-mails."
An integral part of all communities is visiting the elderly, and
the home has students from the local Jewish schools visit regularly
with the residents and buddy up. This system is especially therapeutic
for residents who are not near their families.
The home also hosts fantastic entertainment, said Lipovetsky, including
high-profile artists who put on special shows a few times a year
for the residents. Music is used regularly in the home, especially
as a means of therapeutic healing for isolated residents in their
last stages of life, she said.
Other art forms include a writer's club, where residents can share
their poetry, prose and short stories. There is also art therapy,
with arts and crafts classes.
"It is a very rich environment here," said Lipovetsky.
"We have grown to become a central and vital part of the Jewish
community."
On Fridays for Oneg Shabbat, leaders of the community come in for
services. The synagogue at the Louis Brier is well used and members
of synagogues across the city attend regularly to join the residents
in prayer.
On Pesach each year, there are six different seders, so that people
of all levels of Judaism can participate.
"We honor and respect every resident's way of being,"
said Lipovetsky.
Aside from religious programming, the home also offers a wide selection
of movies and large-screen televisions in several locations throughout
both the Louis Brier and Weinberg residences. There is also a small
library at the Louis Brier and an assortment of books at the Weinberg.
The Louis Brier owns a bus, which allows residents to travel under
supervised care to places like Oakridge Centre to go shopping. The
Louis Brier and Weinberg wings share the same bus – although
the Weinberg is hoping to have its own bus eventually, said Weinberg
leader Vanessa Trester.
"We come together often as a campus, but we do a lot of things
separately," said Trester.
Residents at the Weinberg residence, however, do share some common
facilities, such as the gift shop, located in the main lobby of
the Louis Brier. The store serves a double purpose of providing
gifts to brighten a resident's day and as a social centre for the
residents.
"Many residents just visit the gift shop to talk," said
Kafka. "The woman who works at the gift shop's name is Miriam
[Matoff] and she is turning 100 this year and really relates to
the residents."
Two of the main focuses at the campus are for residents to keep
learning and have new experiences and to laugh and have fun. The
success of the home has stood the test of time and is proven by
how happy all staff are to work at the Louis Brier, said Kafka.
"Everyone at the home, staff and residents, are like one family
and we love it here."
Eva Cohen is a freelance writer living in Ottawa.
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