"Aging in Place in Israel"

IFA 11th Global Conference on Ageing

28 May – 1 June 2012

Prague

Yitzhak Brick

Director-General , JDC-ESHEL

Professor of Gerontology – Haifa University

Definition- Ageing in Place

Old adults continue to live in their

home as they age, as long as they

are able and wish to do so.

General Strategy

Aging in Place:

Elderly people should continue to live at

home and in the community as long as

possible.

Benefits:

Improves quality of life

Saves expenditures on long term care

Why people prefer

to live at home?

• Independence

• Acquaintance

• House Keeping

• Hosting

• Historical meaning

• Status

• Support

The challenge

• Scope

• Quality

• Accessibility

• Information

Elderly Population in Israel Estimates for the End of 2009

``

Israel Total

Population 7,552,000

717,200 (96.7%) live in the community

24,400 (3.3%) live in long-term

care institutions

Source: Central Bureau of Statistics, "Mashav" - National Data Base for the Planning in the Field of Old Age,

Meyers-Joint-Brookdale Institute and JDC-ESHEL

Elderly 65+ in Israel

741,500 (9.8%)

Services in the Community

• Day care centers

• Home care

• Supportive communities

• Employment and Volunteerism

• Warm Home programs

• Health Promotion

• Long term nursing care law

• Forien care givers

Day Care Centers

• Personal care services

• Professional/ paraprofessional

services

• Transportation

• Hot meals

• Social and cultural activities

• Special programs: gardening,

computers & pet therapy

• Special programs for the mentally frail

172 centers – 15,500 beneficiaries (2010)

Home Care

Long term care law – April 1988

Three levels of care:

9.75 – 16.00 – 18.00 Hours per week

2010 – 144,000 recipients

Supportive Communities

• Community father/mother

• Emergency call system

• Doctor’s visits and ambulance

• Social activities

250 communities – 47,000 members

Supportive Communities

Volunteering & Employment

• Elderly volunteers work in health promotion, social and cultural activities, community TV, newspapers, computers program, education and business

•Employment programs for older new immigrants, seniors’ “malls” and other work opportunities

Warm Home Program

• Weekly meetings of culturally similar elderly

• Social and cultural activities

• Social “safety net” for isolated elderly

240 homes-3,200 beneficiaries (2010)

Warm home

Health Promotion

• Physical activity programs

• Prevention programs for frail elderly

• Dental, vision and hearing care

• Nutrition programs

• Health education

Prevention and Care

Elder Abuse / Neglect

• Community Intervention Project

• Hot Line

• Implementation of Standards in Health

Service

• Manual for Professionals

• Training of Professionals and Volunteers

• Research and Evaluation

Migrant live-in home care

worker • 47,000 migrant workers

• 24 hours of care, 6 days a week

• Personal care + housekeeping

• High satisfaction of elderly & families

• Family continues to be involved

• Problems: Training, abuse, supervision

and abandoning

Development of Programs in Israel

Service Programs Participants

1990 2009 1990 2009

Home care -- -- 27,684 131,266

Supportive

Communities 4 223 210 42,369

Sheltered Housing 70 165 6,170 21,315

Day care centers 53 172 3,875 15,500

Institutional care 192 403 19,041 30,233

Number of 65+ -- -- 442,200 741,500

Rates of Institutionalization

65+ Beds Institutions Year

40 14,948 145 1985

43 19,041 192 1990

39 29,281 392 2009

Conclusion

• Rapid increase in services for the elderly at

home and in the community.

• No increase in institutional rates.

More elderly continue to live at

home and in the community