Frequently asked questions

There is a complex of considerations which must be considered when deliberating on the decision of whether it is time to move to a retirement home or to assisted living:

• Health reasons, such as the need of medical supervision, the provision of medications and the day-to-day level of function and performance of simple actions such as getting dressed or showering.
• Social reasons – the move to a retirement home offers solutions for loneliness and assists and even prevents problems of depression. The varied activities, the environment and new companionship are a refreshing change as opposed to sitting at home.
• Environmental reasons – if in the past, a few stairs were no great challenge, nowadays there are various difficulties that need to be addressed, such as going up stairs, adapting the bathroom to prevent falling and slipping, adjusting the height of the bed or moving to an adjustable bed, and more.

Moving to a retirement home or to an assisted living facility can provide a response to all these issues – an active social life, suitability for environmental and medical needs which may change with time, and of course, an environment which, in advance, is intended to prevent a decline in the state of one’s health.

The home with which are so familiar, which was comfortable and safe in the past, is not necessarily suitable for conditions and needs which change with age.

Home care may be possible through the help of caregivers who either live in the patient’s home or come from time to time to assist with actions around the home, but such caregivers are very expensive and only answer the physical need of assistance, and even that is only provided that they are present at the home at all hours of the day. In assisted living, there is close supervision at all hours of the day, as well as a medical staff prepared for any problem.

The danger of slipping or falling inside the home increases with age, and adapting the house requires many resources on the one hand and an understanding of the field on the other. A fall at an advanced age has both physical and emotional ramifications, and might cause bruises, damage and physical fractures which would lead to a deterioration of one’s medical condition, as well as a decline in that person’s self-confidence and self of capability. Appropriate devices, designed specifically for the elderly and which are present at retirement homes and assisted living facilities, as well as monitoring and supervision, can prevent such unpleasant situations.

Elders who live at home, even if they live with a caregiver, often feel loneliness and depression. Caregivers are unable to provide solutions for the social and emotional needs of the elders: Hebrew is often not their native language and they do not have the time to listen to the elder’s nostalgic recollections or hold an animated conversation about the news of the day or the elder’s grandchildren. Retirement homes offer a vivacious social environment, varied activities and even trips for the tenants.

From the moment of making the decision until acclimatization at the retirement home, one has to undergo a dynamic and complex process which varies from person to person, and therefore it is difficult to exactly define the duration of the process.

In urgent cases, we will do our utmost to find the quickest and best solution. If necessary, we will use a pre-code.

The “Mali Shtilman – Geriatric Consultant” company receives the payment from the retirement homes themselves, and does not charge any additional payment from elders, this being pursuant to the law in Israel. The service is free for you, and the payment received for it is uniform and identical from any retirement home where one is placed, so that our only interest in your matter is finding the best solution for you.

The Ministry of Health code provides partial or full funding of the admission to a nursing retirement home or to a retirement home for the mentally infirm, for people who require financial aid.

There are many people who, while searching for an appropriate retirement home for their spouse or their elderly parents, encounter difficulties, for the sole reason that they or their children do not have the ability, and the considerable financial means, involved in independently registering for, and funding, the stay at a retirement home. In such cases, the Ministry of Health provides an option of aid in funding the stay at a retirement home. The aid is conditional upon meeting various criteria, and is provided by receiving a code from the Ministry of Health.

In exceptional cases where one cannot wait until the code receipt process is completed and the move to the retirement home must be made urgently, we are in contact with several retirement homes which offer the option of a “pre-code”. This is a financial arrangement which exists until the code is received from the Ministry of Health, which, in urgent cases, takes no longer than several weeks. The elder and his family members will pay only a nominal amount, according to the family’s abilities, directly to the retirement home.

In the process of finding the retirement home, the financial aspect is checked specifically for each client.

In cases where the placement is done privately and not by the Ministry of Health or by social workers, the payment will be made by the family members.

In cases where Ministry of Health contribution is required, as part of the process of applying for the code, the Ministry of Health checks the financial status of the elder and his children, in order to estimate the required level of aid. We are here to deal with all the bureaucracy involved in these proceedings for you.