Counseling for the elderly and their families:
Counseling is provided in all local branches of the National Insurance Institute as part of the general services in the various departments.
The elderly and their families can obtain information, assistance, guidance and support in exercising the rights of the elderly in the National Insurance Institute and in other community services.
The counseling is provided in a warm and relaxed atmosphere. The elderly are given a sympathetic ear and ongoing support in the process of exercising their rights, both at the NII and in other community services.
Regular home visits:
Many elderly people who are housebound require ongoing support because of their isolation and lack of contact with family or society.
Volunteers visit the elderly on a regular basis once a month, for about two hours. The visits are only made with the consent of the elderly person and at his request.
Through these home visits, the volunteers forge a personal, understanding, accepting and sympathetic relationship which is so important to the elderly, to improve their emotional and economic situation. These regular visits help the elderly, reduce their loneliness and improve their lives.
One-time home visits:
The service continually locates elderly people who may be in danger and in distress. These people are located by means of one-time home visits, which are coordinated in advance with the elderly person or his family.
The target population includes those defined as people at risk due to impaired functioning and dependence on others, advanced age (above the age of 80) or family status (widowed). The information is obtained from the NII databases.
Elderly people who are found to be in need of help, such as referral to public institution, or some kind of intervention or regular home visits, receive continued care.
Support groups:
The service operates different support groups at the branches for elderly people undergoing various crises at this stage of their lives.
The types of support groups vary from one branch to another, and are established according to the unique needs of the local population, such as the elderly blind, the spouses of long-term care patients, the middle generation who are coping with the old-age crises of their elderly parents.
Support groups for widows and widowers:
There are support groups for widows and widowers at every branch. The main purpose of these groups is to provide emotional assistance during the crisis and support in preparing to return to their normal lives.
The group facilitators are social workers and professionals in the field of elder counseling at the branches. The groups contain up to 15 participants and the meetings continue for about three months, once a week for two hours each time. Participation in the groups serves as a significant anchor for the participants - they share with other group members the process of working through their grief and coping with their personal loss, and they acquire the spiritual strength and personal validation they need to return to a normal life.
The support groups provide each participant with a sense of warmth, partnership and full acceptance by the group.
At the end of the process, most of the participants leave with a renewed sense of strength, which enables them to go on. Belonging to a support group also creates the connection between the participants and the counseling service itself and, if necessary, they can contact the service to obtain support.