LA Jewish Home Center Seeks Innovative Protocols for Enhanced Senior Care

Research in eldercare comes down to one central issue: finding ways to enhance the quality of life for loved ones.

The Los Angeles Jewish Home, one of the largest providers of senior healthcare services in Los Angeles, recently opened the Brandman Research Institute (BRI), a center for research into best practices for geriatric health issues. An interdisciplinary team of healthcare professionals share a goal: to develop new standards and best-models of care for older adults.

“The Jewish Home has provided 107 years of outstanding programs and services for seniors. With the formation of BRI, the Home will identify and promote new and more effective models of care to enhance the quality of life for a growing aging population,” said Molly Forrest, CEO and president of LAJH. “We look forward to sharing what we learn to lead the way to better care for our elders throughout the world.”

The need for improved care for America’s rapidly expanding senior population has never been greater. With rising healthcare costs, understanding how to most effectively provide care for those of advanced age is critical and will have widespread impact.

Serving as Executive Director for BRI is Dr. Noah

Marco, Chief Medical Officer for LAJH. “I am honored to spearhead this distinctive program. We bring a unique understanding and perspective to the great challenge of caring for an aging population,” said Dr. Marco. “With the launching of BRI, we aim to create real change in the care of seniors based on working directly with an often overlooked population. BRI is committed to developing a better quality of life for the Greatest Generation through our work.”

BRI provides medical and professional staff a unique opportunity to learn directly from seniors what works best for them. Specialized research identifies and promotes life-enhancing healthy-aging practices. Activities include research projects and identified treatments to improve and enhance medical, social, psychiatric and psychological services for seniors. This pioneering approach will create “best-care” models of eldercare to be shared in the US and world.

The Jewish Home provides a full continuum of care for almost 4,000 seniors through its award-winning in-home, community health, and residential programs and services. As such, BRI is distinctively positioned to provide insight on developing new protocols and standards in caring for older adults.

“Clinical studies often exclude older people. We are directly studying this segment of the population with an eye on improving the individual senior as well as the overall models of care,” adds Dr. Marco.

The goal of BRI is to be a resource for those in the field of post-acute healthcare, from private institutions to government agencies. With its unique structure, backing, and focus, BRI will provide a strong voice in the area of quality senior care. LAJH envisions its studies will model for others the best methods and practices for optimal outcomes of care for providers offering post-acute care for seniors.

Joyce Brandman and her late husband, Saul, supported the creation of the Brandman Research Institute, located in the Eisenberg-Keefer Medical Center on the Home’s Grancell Village Campus. “We felt that with people living longer than they used to, we need to know what can be done so that they can live full, healthy lives while they are aging,” Joyce explained.