Shilo
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Mission Statement
Shilo - The Association for Services for the Elderly in Haifa operates with the vision that the best place for an elderly person is their own home and familiar community. In order to make this choice possible, we provide a range of services to ensure quality of life for senior citizens in the Haifa region. Our Mission To develop a comprehensive network of services for the elderly in the Haifa area; to guide and assist senior citizens in the field of health, social, culture, occupation, housing and nutrition; to ensure that every senior citizen can live a full, quality life regardless of their infirments; to open and run day centers; to help professional and volunteers work together for the welfare of the elderly; to raise awareness in the community of what can be done to assist and cheer the elderly; to ensure that each elderly individual is part of planning and executing their own daily routine.
About This Cause
The Challenges of the Senior Population Of Haifa Shilo operates in the greater Haifa region, an area that includes not only the large city of Haifa but the nearby “Krayot”, a cluster of five townships in the Haifa bay area each with a population of 28,000 to 40,000 residents. At present, over 19% of the residents of this area are over 65, a number that is growing by 6% each year. In addition, people are living longer and the number of citizens over 85 increases each year. It is clear that forward planning must be implemented to ensure that services are existent and operational to deal with the specific needs of the elderly. The Needs of the Senior Population Of Haifa According to research done by Shilo, 97% of people over 65 prefer to stay within their own communities rather than move to an institution. With this, there are still not enough places in retirement facilities and nursing homes for all the people who need them. As age increases, health may decline. Some elderly people have clear minds but are frail physically, or unable to move around with ease. Other people may have strong bodies but minds that are ravaged by dementia or Alzheimer's. Each sector of the population has their own needs - while some need help with day-to-day living and errands, others need occupation and stimulation. Across all cases of seniors who live in their own homes we see cases of loneliness that if left unchecked can lead to depression. Our Activities Shilo runs a network of services and professional solutions to the issues faced by elderly people living in the greater Haifa region. In addition to four day care centres, each catering for a different sector of the elderly population of Haifa, Shilo also runs community volunteer services to help the elderly, provides home healthcare and assistants to housebound seniors, and operates services and clubs specifically for Holocaust survivors. We pride ourselves on being respectful, caring and empathetic. Projects in Focus Holocaust Survivors - There are 20,000 holocaust survivors in the Haifa area, the highest density in the country. Many do not have family to depend on to take care of their needs. They are often poor and living in extremely basic conditions. Holocaust survivors have the right to claim financial aid from many different bodies within Israel and abroad, but many survivors do not know about their rights, or due to language and technical barriers, are unable to go about claiming what is rightfully theirs. Shilo employs a lawyer who helps each person to identify their rights and claim what is theirs. In addition to the financial aid we provide, Shilo also runs a club for Holocaust survivors that provides people with a social outlet and cultural stimulation. This project has some financial support from the local municipality. A New Building for the Multicultural Day Center - Of Shilo’s four day centers, one stands out as being a place where personal connection overrides cultural differences. Haifa has a mixed population of Jews, Muslims and Arabs and is often viewed as a paradigm of coexistence. Nowhere is this more clear than in Shilo’s center where speakers of Hebrew, Arabic and Russian spend their days in social companionship. Sadly, the physical conditions of this day center are so terrible that it must be closed due to health and safety risks. We have been granted permission to build two floors onto an existing municipal building which will create a multi-service day center with a social and occupational center for senior citizens who are functional on one floor, and a day care center for low functioning elderly residents on another. This center will offer transportation and two hot, nutritious meals to the participants as well as a range of medical, paramedical, social and other services. Combating Loneliness - Alongside the need to help senior citizens take care of their day-to-day tasks such as cleaning, laundry and meal preparation, lies the need for social interaction and cognitive stimulation. Shilo aims to develop a basket of services specifically aimed at senior citizens who live alone and find it hard to get out of the house unaided. This would include providing guidance for using free time in a constructive way, development of programs for both cognitive and physical exercise in order to retain current abilities, provision of social stimulation and companionship, a “meals on wheels” service that would take a hot meal to each housebound senior each day, and a service that would send occupational and physical therapists into the homes of the elderly. As well as a budget to develop and implement these services, Shilo needs a vehicle to enable our volunteers and professionals to reach each resident. A Garden for Seniors - One of Shilo’s centers is specifically for elderly people who have dementia, Alzheimer's and other mental and cognitive disorders. This center is extremely safe and secure; in order to protect the residents wandering away, we make sure to keep the doors locked. However, this means that our participants are confined indoors for many hours at a time. It is well known that fresh air and spending time outdoors is therapeutic and healthy. Surrounding the center, within the confines of the building, is a strip of undeveloped land that Shilo hopes to transform into a garden complete with plants, trees, flowers and benches where the residents can sit and enjoy being outdoors. In addition, we would use this area for a therapeutic gardening program. Sensual activity is known to be helpful for patients with mental disorders and we believe that gardening would be great way to stimulate the participants.