The Guidance and Exhibit Center is regularly flooded with people seeking solutions to a variety of problems arising from the need to care for the elderly and disabled.  Below are a few descriptions of how the Center has come to the aid of these clients and made life both safer and easier for them:

Just recently Mrs. M consulted the Yad Sarah Guidance and Exhibit Center.  She is in the advanced stages of pregnancy and sought assistance in taking care of her father, who had returned home after a stroke.  Five different solutions were suggested to her:  a bench for transferring him to the bathtub, a handlebar for the toilet, an elevated seat for the toilet, cups to raise the height of the bed and a reacher pole.  She also learned about the YadSaraVan service for transporting her father, as well as several ideas for how he can spend his free time.

Because of her pregnancy the daughter herself adopted several of the ideas for her own use:  the reacher which makes it easier for her to get to things without having to bend down, a handlebar for the toilet which she took from her father after he had a permanent one installed by the Jerusalem handlebar team, and cups to raise her bed to assist her in getting out of bed.  She came to be of assistance and landed out being helped herself.

In another instance Mr. P arrived at the Center with his wife who suffers from Parkinson's disease.  In their home the border around their shower stall prevented them from getting the bathing chair into the shower and they thought some type of ramp would solve the problem.  In the Exhibit Center they discovered a different solution to their problem through use of a transfer bench which was specially adapted for use in a shower stall, thus avoiding unnecessary expenses.

M., who came to the Guidance and Exhibit Center never expected to find the answer to his problem right in his very own closet.  He came for help after his mother broke her thigh.  She was walking with the aid of a walker, and according to doctor's orders had to sit with her leg elevated.  Because it was hard for his mother to raise her leg, M. wanted to borrow a wheelchair with legs that can be raised to help his mother elevate her legs.  The problem was solved by showing him how a simple device for self-elevating the leg can be constructed from an ordinary necktie (one that is no longer in style, of course).  The occupational therapy clinic explained how to use the necktie and equipped him with a picture and diagram explaining the process.

In the course of remodeling her house, Ms. K, a senior citizen, decided it would be wise to get advice from the Guidance and Exhibit Center before she remodeled her shower.  She received a host of safety and convenience ideas for daily activity.

Professionals who visited the exhibit:
• Physical therapists from the Meuhedet Health Fund
• A paramedical team from Beit Baer, Jerusalem
• Occupational therapists from Reut Hospital, Tel-Aviv
• The Indian ambassador to Israel
• The Home and Community Services received instruction
• The Safety Project of the School for Social Work, Hebrew University
• The Israel Joint Caretaker Project in the Former Soviet Union

Photos: Devora Kravitz