aged – Ezer Mizion

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

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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?