Ashalim: Services for Children and Youth at Risk
VPL-ELKA
Immigrant Integration
Israelis with Disabilities
TEVET: Employment & Entrepreneurship
Responding to Crisis
Israel Research Institutes

JDC-ESHEL: Services for the Elderly

Need
The elderly comprise the fastest growing population in Israel, numbering approximately 700,000. An estimated 23 percent of these seniors live in poverty. Others lack the means to be as independent or as productive as they’d like to be because of infirmities or illnesses related to aging.

Response
JDC-ESHEL, the Association for the Planning and Development of Services for the Aged in Israel, has revolutionized the nation’s system of care for the aged. Working in partnership with the Government of Israel, JDC-ESHEL has expanded community-based services that emphasize ‘aging in place,’ while providing programs and venues that help keep seniors socially engaged and vital. It is also addressing the growing challenge of poverty among the elderly. JDC-ESHEL’s efforts include:

• Home care for house-bound seniors
• Elderly employment programs
• Supportive social and cultural programs for Holocaust survivors
• Community gardening programs

Impact
Now in its 40th year, JDC-ESHEL has enhanced the lives of more than 500,000 elderly citizens in Israel.

• An estimated 17,500 of the neediest elderly Israelis benefit from basic services that improve their standard of living
• More than 180 community day care centers offer Israel’s seniors nutritional and physical support as well as social and cultural activities
• More than 120 local elderly associations have been helped to strengthen their organizational capacity, including their fundraising and marketing efforts
• Some 42,000 elderly receive the services and infrastructure they need to be able to age with dignity in their own homes through a network of 250+ Supportive Communities