aged – Ezer Mizion

Caring for the Aged

Guided Cognitive Activity Caregivers Training Program
Ezer Mizion’s Geriatric Division’s goal is to provide optimal service to aging care recipients while giving caregivers
additional tools which improve elder care provision and ensure optimal well-being of the seniors.
The challenges of aging and neurodegenerative diseases are well known and widely discussed as they become an
increasingly prevalent and significant social and economic issue.
Aging is usually related to decline and losses of various kinds. While there are several pharmacological agents
available which are known to play an important role in memory preservation, compliance with these protocols can
bear possible serious adverse effects. Thus, the most promising avenues of intervention now lie in prevention. In
this perspective, nutrition, physical activities, social interactions, and cognitive activities practiced by the elderly
are currently principal domains of interest and research and have proven to be highly successful in improving and
maintaining function levels and improving quality of life.
The goal of this specific project is the promotion of cognitive stimulation among the elderly, which will hopefully
play an active role in the preservation of memory and active cognitive function well in to old age.
The project is facilitated by hired caregivers who are employed by Ezer Mizion in the homes of the elderly. Many of the elderly are homebound and have minimal physical and cognitive stimulation. Caregivers of the elderly who are
interested in enriching their toolbox and broadening their ability for richer interaction with their aging clients, have
been chosen to participate in this exciting Ezer Mizion caregiver training course.
The course introduces approaches for cognitive stimulation through simple, fun activities that the caregiver does
with the elderly client at home, using art, crafts and game mediums that are readily available. Techniques for
encouraging involvement by the senior are taught and modeled by geriatric professionals from the Ezer Mizion
team.
Because cognitive decline is a natural part of the aging process, there’s a lot of benefit to cognitive stimulation
activities for elders such as like crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, word and card games, and other games, which
can help older people retain as much cognitive function as possible, assist in memory retention, attention, abstract
reasoning and problem solving. These functions, along with the social exposure that the training brings, enhances
self-esteem both for the caregiver as well as for the elderly client, making it a win-win project.
The training syllabus is delivered at three intense theoretic and hands-on sessions and is followed by professional
supervision in the home of the senior, with enrichment meetings for all the caregivers once every quarter annually,
to further enhance their skills.
The pilot version was done at Ezer Mizion’s Herzlia division and is currently being replicated at 14 different Ezer
Mizion service centers throughout Israel (Netanya, Kfar Sabba, Petach Tikvah, Bnei Brak, Tel Aviv, Holon, Bat Yam,
Ramat Gan, Givatayim, Ashdod, Rehovot, Lod, Modiin Ilit, Rishon Lezion).
This project has been made possible by a generous donation from Alex & Rosa Dembitzer, for whom support of the
elderly and the struggle with dementia, is a cause that is dear to their hearts. Ezer Mizion projects serving both
dementia patients and their caregivers have received the warm support of the extended Dembitzer-Fried family
through this project and other important initiatives.
Inter-generational Outings for the Elderly
An additional project that has merited the Dembitzer Family’s kind attention and support is Ezer
Mizion’s plan to promote inter-generational interaction, stimulating connection of grandchildren to their
grandparents by arranging for them to share a mutually exciting field day together.
The first of these outings is scheduled to take place in another three weeks and will bring together the
elderly grandparents, their adult children and their grandchildren. The outings will be arranged by Ezer
Mizion professional staff, after identifying families that would benefit the most from such an
opportunity. Ezer Mizion volunteers will also be part of the outing group and assist in facilitating
technical aspects of the outing.
The project is beginning as a pilot with several families going out separately to specific venues with preplanned shared activities. The outcomes will be assessed in order to evaluate the projects further phases
and ensure its strongest impact on the elderly through the strengthening of their bond with their children and grandchildren.

It’s Only a Game…or Is it?

Esty had absorbed the message that pervades every nook and cranny at Ezer Mizion: “What else can we do to help those in need?” Esty was hired as a Developmental Aide who met with special needs children several times a week, working to attain the goals set by the therapists. Being well trained in the field and blessed with a lot of initiative and great ideas, she developed a program using games to help meet those goals. A classic Candyland game could work wonders if utilized in the right way, she discovered. It was not long before she was heading Ezer Mizion’s newly founded Game Lending Library. Therapists would use the games to supplement their own supplies and families with special children would meet with her and borrow games based on her recommendation.

A busy mother, at her wits end, is told that her child will grow so much more if Mommy does ‘homework’ with him each day. It’s not that she doesn’t want to obey the therapists’ instructions. It’s not that she doesn’t care about her child reaching his potential. Continue reading It’s Only a Game…or Is it?

I Missed Mine!

Many Holocaust survivors have built anew and are now successful heads of multi-generational families. But there in the recesses of their being lies the childhood that never was. They don’t speak about it. An adult would feel foolish expressing his regret over never having had the opportunity to play with dolls. But it’s there. Or rather, it is not there. A void that cannot be filled. Among themselves, the sorrow may come up in conversation. And at one other place: an Ezer Mizion Social Club for Holocaust Survivors. It was there that an idea was born.

As these heroes attend their grandchildren’s Bas and Bar Mitzvahs, their hearts are filled with pride. Yet there lurks that germ of regret. “I missed mine.”

Would a formal celebration during the Golden Years serve as closure for the childhood celebrations lost in the wisps of crematoria smoke. Call it a Bas Mitzvah. Call it a closure of sorts. Would it serve to put to rest, once and for all, a few of the demons that still invade in their souls? Continue reading I Missed Mine!

Ezer Mizion Elad Troops in Action

Ezer Mizion, the Caller ID reads.
“Are you available to drive a patient to the hospital today at four?” Eli’s forehead wrinkles in thought and he makes the calculations. “I’ll take it.”
His cell phone vibrates. “This is Dr. Kluger’s secretary,” You have an appointment in another two weeks but a slot became available today at four. Interested?”
Yes, very interested. His foot has been waiting for over a month to be seen by the overbooked, expert orthopedist. True, it’s nothing critical but the nagging pain… Perhaps he should cancel the volunteer trip? Just this once…
“No,” he heard himself say. “I’m booked this afternoon.”
A soldier in the Ezer Mizion army does not go AWOL. Continue reading Ezer Mizion Elad Troops in Action

A Letter Meant for Your, Our Dear Friends and Supporters

pr mental illness flower MB900449094 When the doctor made his diagnosis and informed us that all the phenomena we had noticed recently in my mother were symptoms of Alzheimer’s, I was at a real loss.
I am an only daughter, my two brothers live abroad, and I just did not know how I would be able to deal with this distressing diagnosis.
Baruch Hashem, my neighbor told me that in Rosh Ha’ayin the city where I live, , there is a branch of the Ezer Mizion Tzipporah Fried Alzheimer Support Center, established specifically to offer a response to this kind of problem.
The pleasant demeanor and warm smile with which they greeted me at the center were like a breath of fresh air. I received an efficient, professional response. They set up a meeting for me with a social worker, and she helped me understand the meaning of my mother’s illness and what I need to do about it. She also guided me through the maze of bureaucracy, so that I could get the Home Attendant Law allowance from the National Insurance Institute for my mother. She did not leave me alone until everything was arranged in the best possible way.
Afterwards I kept up my connections with the Center. Whenever I come across a problem or question, I call them and always receive a sensitive, professional response. It’s no wonder that I feel they are my second family. They enable me to continue to honor my mother even during her illness.
For the benefit of others who may need the Center’s services, I am listing their information: The Shi”l House, 120 Rashi Street Rosh Ha’ayin, Tel: 03-574-5817

What a Difference!

Dear Ezer Mizion,

When I heard about the “Bonding with Motion” workshop to improve the physical capabilities of handicapped and home-bound patients, and especially when I learned that the workshop is geared for family members caring for these patients, I decided to check it out. I took a peek – and I was won over…

As a daughter of a mother who was diagnosed with dementia five years ago, we were looking for ways to keep Ima more active. Continue reading What a Difference!

ALEH JOINS EZER MIZION TO BENEFIT THE ELDERLY Kivun Chadash – Gimla’im – Jan. 22, 2014 By: Dahava Eyal

I first heard about the program from Varda Kahana, director of the Ezer Mizion branch here in Rechovot, and from Anat Yules, the director of the Municipality’s Div

pr golden 2 14 Yom Tzilumim. DSCF1457

ision for the Benefit of Senior Citizens. I shared the Aleh organization’s interest in expanding and developing additional services for target populations of seniors with impaired function in order to continue actualizing the organization’s goals and contribute to enhancement of the quality of life for the elderly population in the city. They shared with me the details of the innovative program for the benefit of seniors with cognitive decline that had been in existence for several years.

In our discussions, the idea came up to form a collaboration between Ezer Mizion, the Rechovot Municipality and Aleh which will operate “Bonding and Building”. This program was conceived by EMDA an organization founded by relatives of people with Alzheimer’s, dementia, and other similar conditions. Continue reading ALEH JOINS EZER MIZION TO BENEFIT THE ELDERLY Kivun Chadash – Gimla’im – Jan. 22, 2014 By: Dahava Eyal

Tu B’shvat Party for Golden-Agers

pr golden tu b'shvat 2014 Rambam school entertainment 9838_276795542473389_1522440271_n Ezer Mizion’s Golden Age Division conducted a Tu Bishvat Party in Herzliya. Included in the program were Rambam School children who performed and sang for/with the participants. their enthusiasm was contagious, causing many participants to join in t e songs. The festivities were attended by Mr. Zvi Weiss, deputy mayor of Herzliya.

Ezer Mizion’s Ambulance and Transport division were recruited to bring mobility impaired and elderly who were not able to get there on their own.

The New Circle

Following the great success of the first groups, Ezer Mizion’s Malka Hager Fitness Center is carrying on with additional conversation groups for seniors on the topic of positive thinking.

Ezer Mizion has always placed senior citizens at the forefront of their concern and is constantly developing unique projects to meet the specific needs discerned in this age group. Continue reading The New Circle

Dreams…Should They Be Allowed to Wither and Die?

Dreams are Ageless.

When the spirit has a desire but the impediments of the aged, physical body hold him back, does the dream remain suspended in space only to wither and die or…?

With a lifetime of relationships, a lifetime of experiences, the aged often have desires. How sad when many desires remain unfulfilled due to physical challenges. Continue reading Dreams…Should They Be Allowed to Wither and Die?