Vision
To provide care and companionship for low income seniors in neighborhoods across south Tel Aviv-Jaffa and Beer Sheva. BINA young adult volunteers will ‘adopt’ senior citizens and give them much needed support and strengthen their sense of self-value and independence; To foster a community, in which the elderly are supported, included and recognized as an integral strength and resource.
Activity
BINA’s young adult volunteers will make house visits every week (for 2-4 hours/week for a total of at least 96 hours/year) to senior citizens in underserved communities across south Tel Aviv-Jaffa and Beer Sheva. The volunteers will provide home assistance, companionship and document personal narratives (which will be collected, published and submitted to the Diaspora Museum – Community Stories database). The volunteers will help with light house work and shopping – anything that is needed, giving the citizens much needed support and a sense of their own independence providing the emotional support to combat loneliness and isolation. The house visits will be organized in partnership with the local municipal authority (welfare department/municipal social workers) enabling our volunteers to give their time to those who most need it.
The volunteers, who are all aged between 18 and 30, will receive ongoing training and supervision, specifically related to gerontology and aging. They will also be trained to assist the seniors in maximizing the benefits they are eligible for by the Israeli government and provide guidance to ensure full utilization of rights and monetary allocations for seniors vis a vis the appropriate governmental authorities (National Insurance, private insurance, welfare etc).