Israel Fails To Adequately Care For Its Elderly

An old-age home in Bnei Brak had gone up in flames. The fire, which started due to what turned out to be criminal negligence, was the fault of the institution's directors, who were operating it without a license and with a forged safety certificate. Some people still believe that society's "weak" members are those who did not try hard enough, or were not born smart enough, or are just losers who at most have to be given an occasional hot meal as a "contribution to the community." But these people don't understand that they are living in a country that has abandoned the most basic principle that makes a society out of a chaotic jungle: the right to live a dignified life. Life expectancy in Israel is constantly on the rise, but the bad news, released this week by the Bank of Israel, is that government outlays on caring for the elderly are among the lowest in the western world.

Opinion: Israel spending less and less on its citizens
The time has come for the Knesset expand its narrow, inhumane definition of a dignified existence, and thereby restrain the government's irresponsibility.
By Avirama Golan • Ha’aretz

The headline seemed like a reflection of the wretched, miserable reality: An old-age home in Bnei Brak had gone up in flames. The fire, which started due to what turned out to be criminal negligence, was the fault of the institution's directors, who were operating it without a license and with a forged safety certificate.

This description may seem detached from the experience of the wealthy people who inhabit the upper deciles. Bnei Brak is a poor ultra-Orthodox city, and the people involved were helpless, poor, old people. Such a thing would never happen to us, say the banks' investment directors and the corporate marketing directors and the high-tech professionals.

They are wrong. Some people still believe that society's "weak" members are those who did not try hard enough, or were not born smart enough, or are just losers who at most have to be given an occasional hot meal as a "contribution to the community." But these people don't understand that they are living in a country that has abandoned the most basic principle that makes a society out of a chaotic jungle: the right to live a dignified life. This abandonment has pulled the safety net out from under everyone's feet - even those who are well-off today.

That is because, as the not-so-young mother of one of my friends says, everyone who is born also dies. But on the way he or she also grows old, and living with dignity in old age requires quite an investment.

Life expectancy in Israel is constantly on the rise, but the bad news, released this week by the Bank of Israel, is that government outlays on caring for the elderly are among the lowest in the West, while private outlays for this purpose are relatively high compared to other countries. Put simply, the state is spending less and less, while the individual - who is already collapsing under the burden of the mortgage, education, health, food, fuel, electricity and what not - is paying more.

In light of the accelerated aging of the population, it's clear that the price people pay out of their own pocket will only grow. Already, cuts in per diem funding for residents of chronic-care facilities for the aged have opened a dangerous gap between the real cost of care and what these institutions receive from the government. And that is not to mention the scandalous cost of "prestigious" (or more accurately, just plain expensive ) nursing homes, which only very well-heeled families can afford to pay out of their own pockets.

What will happen if this trend continues? Either everyone will have to work much harder, at the expense of being able to have a reasonable quality of life, or in the worst case, he will simply go bankrupt. Clearly, if so, he too will be a weak, needy and helpless oldster, contrary to the expectations voiced above. In short, he'll be the type of person that he currently thinks only lives in old-age homes in Bnei Brak that burn down.

In light of this suffocating reality, we have no choice but to cling to the Basic Law on Human Dignity and Liberty like drowning people grasp at a straw (that is, assuming we are not prepared to accept charity as the only solution ). Liberals see the expression "human dignity" as a sweeping term that (with difficulty ) encompasses various aspects of the principle of equality, by virtue of a person's right to self-actualization and the autonomy of the individual will. But what about the right to a dignified existence?

"Human dignity," ruled then-Supreme Court President Aharon Barak, "is an overarching right from which many rights can be derived." He himself derived several rulings from it that stretched the interpretation of "human dignity" to the maximum, because he was convinced there was no need for a constitutional expansion of social rights. But even Barak presumably understands by now that since Israeli politicians have chosen to position the country to the right of the United States, while completely ignoring the complexity of the population and the heavy outlays on security, the ultra-Orthodox and the settlers, they haves left every citizen to his own devices - and therefore, the right to a dignified existence must be legislated.

Two retired Supreme Court justices, Dalia Dorner and Dorit Beinisch, demanded that the state expand its narrow, inhumane definition of a dignified existence. The time has come for the Knesset do so as well, and thereby restrain the government's irresponsibility. Otherwise, Israel's elderly will have neither dignity nor liberty. And if they don't have it, neither will those who come after them.

Related Post: Elderly Holocaust Survivor Lives On Tel Aviv Park Bench.

Comments

[Obama]

Shmarya fails to adequately care for himself which is why he e-begs.

How is the hope and change going? ROFLMAO

[ruthie]

omg
omg

[ruthie]

4:44 AM post

you're most probably more stupid than you look....
you sound like you're 7 years old. do you realize how childish you sound...
ha funny

[Isa]

My brother used to work these 'places' in St.Paul/Minneapolis in maintenance. The stories that he told were awful.

Hate to say this... better to die of a heart attack

[Shmarya]

Posted by: Obama | March 21, 2012 at 04:44 AM

Stop using multiple screen names. Chose one of the dozen or so you've used (but NOT Obama or any other person's actual name or screen name)--OR--use your actual legal name.

If I see that you're not following this, I'll delete all or your comments.

[SkepticalYid]

Back on topic... Israel has a long history of neglecting the elderly, holocaust survivors, the disabled (including war veterans) and ethnic minorities..

[Jeff]

This, they don't have money for. Subsidized apartments for Haredim - that they have money for.

[ruthie]

skepyid...
yes....doesn't make sense....the elderly, holocaust survivors and disabled should be treated like royalty. not an iota less.
jeff...
true...
and if the haredim were as religious as they claim they would have arranged for them to take their apts already. you know: kindness and goodness.
the problem is the elderly can't be counted on as a vote.
the haredim can. as in valuable block voting.

[Yosef ben Matitya]

it sometimes now that I think the state should be called Sdom!

[Skeptical]

In Chicago's North side there are many nursing homes run by haredis. I wouldn't board my dogs in some of them. I once had a case that involved 2 haredis running a home, one of whom was attempting to sabotage the business so he could exercise a "buy back" type provision really cheaply. I pointed out to the court how in attempting to manipulate the value of the business, this guy victimized people who were elderly, could not speak up, and many of whom could not even feed themselves by depriving them of basic care and food. The court agreed with me. This was not this man's only shady deal that he tied up the courts' time with. So, my poor opinion of haredis began long ago. I must wonder if the haredi nursing homes in Israel are better.

[Adam Neira]

Every household, community or nation has a budget. You can rate nations on a compassion basis. Care for the elderly is one of the components of this rating. The best form of protection for elderly people is for them to be in a relationship with someone of the opposite sex, i.e. they have someone around the house if they fall down etc. and for them to be close to their children or a supportive community. The best form of financial protection also comes when they are self-funded retirees, i.e. they have been able to squirrel away enough superannuation/savings etc. to get them through their later years. The sign of a reasonably successful state is the ability to pay decent benefits to its unemployed, homeless, elderly and special needs people. The amount of this benefit depends on the tax base of the nation.
On any scale Israel is not in the worst nations category. Perspective is required, but the issue of the treatment of the elderly is an important one.

Prayers for the elderly of the State of Israel.

[SkepticalYid]

Adam, it's possible that your data is a bit out of date. Israel is not the worst, but it has deteriorated noticeably. Also,they have always discriminated against the groups I mentioned earlier in this thread.

[Adam Neira]

To Skeptical Yid,

I am far from an expert on aged care in Israel so will heed your advice. I just try and measure things and be as objective as possible.

[LikeItIs]

Opinion: Israel spending less and less on its citizens

Same here in the United States! What a shame - on both countries!

[David]

Welfare resources should be removed from the Charedim who by CHOICE choose not to work or educate themselves or their children and applied to elderly care.

Also, if the Charedim wanted to do a true mitzvah they could go and voluntarily care for the elederly rather than drink, smoke and fart all day "learning" in kollel.

[Malka Gittel]

I agree with David. Israel would have money for the elderly if it weren't busy subsidising the yeshiva buchers and housing Haredim capable of working.

[ruthie]

malka gittel,

hi.
true...israel has a huge defense budget...but there would be money for the holy elderly and the holy survivors if it weren't for the shnorring haredim.
full stop

[Beth Frank-Backman]

The nursing home faked a certificate. That meant that they were without documentation to receive whatever state aid is available through bituach leumi to improve the facility when it is substandard and needs investment. It also means they didn't think much of the inspectors advices when health and safety violations were found.

Also each bed in an authorized nursing home is covered by the state. And here is a listing of government services: http://www.telfed.org.il/content/beth-protea-update . (There's probably a more up to date one somewhere on the Israeli gov't site, but this showd up first on google)

This fire is on the people who ran the nursing home, not the Israeli health system. There are plenty of nursing homes in the country that give proper care that at least fit into health and safety guidelines even if it isn't luxurious.

Its also on the children. Where were those 8-12 children when their parents needed someone to supervise health care? Too busy I'm sure dealing with the huge families their rabbis say they must have. And also ignorant of the health system, their rabbis want them to believe is against them.

And it is on the culture as a whole. Where were the savings of the elder generation that could have softened the circumstances of their elders? Oh, that went to ridiculously huge weddings, feeling obligated to buy children apartments even if it means mortgaging your own (for real, that happens here) and the funds used to supplement children's betuach leumi payments for their ever studying children who don't work; religious humras that act like hefsed mrebah is for spiritual wimp, etc, etc. (money spent on living by chumrahs can't be saved in a bank account)

This is the sad result of a lopsided society that has no respect for the academeic and social research that leads to those health and safety rules; that acts like it thinks "you shall live by them" refers to olam haba and that habitually focuses on certain easy-for-a-rabbi to define favored mitzvot at the expense of less glamourous and less easily spelled out ones that ensure life and wholeness is available for all.