The DAAT medical query service  has moved to Yad Sarah. (It was previously based in the Hadassah Medical Center.)  DAAT - Hebrew for knowledge - acts as a bridge between the patient and the health care provider. Nava Dolev, founder of DAAT, explains that the idea is to provide a person needing medical treatment or surgery with full information so that he can understand his condition, the various options open to him, and make an intelligent decision, based on that knowledge. DAAT consists of "two and a quarter paid workers" - nurses and a librarian - and some 30 volunteers, including physicians, biochemists, nurses, therapists and psychologists and offers its services free of charge. So far, according to Nava Dolev, DAAT has answered some 25,000 queries in the 6 years of its existence.  This service allows  people to ask their questions from their homes, either by telephone or email (see below), rather than come to Yad Sarah. The reply, which is sent to the person's home, consists of all kinds of pertinent material  in layman's,  easy-to-understand language including relevant articles. According to Nava Dolev, this is the only medical service of its kind in Israel.

Further information at main workshop office:  Tel. 02-644-4556
WorkShops@yadsarah.org.il

Jerusalem’s only health and fitness center for golden agers and people with disabilities (*)  is located at Yad Sarah House in Jerusalem.

Fitted with professional equipment for aerobic and heart-lung capacity work, muscle strengthening and stretching exercises, the Center is staffed by volunteer professionals with medical back up. All equipment is adapted for use by those in wheelchairs. Each machine has a built-in control to limit the maximum exertion to a pre-set ability level. Physical exercise at any age is a positive factor in increasing longevity, promoting general well-being, improving balance and thus minimizing falls. These research findings even apply to people over age  75  and people with disabilities.

* except for war-related disabilities which are treated by the Ministry of Defense

Volunteer Israeli dentists provide a full range of care for the aged. This is one of the few gerodontic centers in the world, and is also a postgraduate teaching clinic. Working under the supervision of the Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Dental Medicine, the dentists specialize in dental care for the aged, such as gum problems, prosthetics, restoration, and more. A mobile dental unit now makes house calls.

The clinic is located at Yad Sarah House 124 Herzl Blvd. Jerusalem

Hours: Sun.-Thurs. 9 am - 1 pm

A new service – “Going Home” – is being launched with the opening of Yad Sarah branch, at Tel Hashomer Hospital – Chaim Sheba Medical Center (near Tel Aviv). Trained Yad Sarah volunteers – at Sheba and two other hospitals – will attach themselves to patients who are discharged and give them and their families the support and information that is crucial to their recovery. Trained volunteers attach themselves to patients upon their discharge from hospitals, one on one, and see them through the stages of recovery. The volunteers connect the convalescent and his or her family with all the community assistance needed, apprise them of their entitlements and help them actualize them. The volunteer is there with advice, encouragement and support until no longer needed.

For more information call 02--6444572

A network of pleasant meeting places - for coffee, cake and conversation, films, lectures, and even low-cost hot meals, for the "golden age" population. Some come just for the social contact, to read a newspaper, to be with people. The coffee shops are managed by volunteers from the local Yad Sarah branch.

The coffee shops are located in:

Jerusalem: Yad Sarah House, 124 Herzl Boulevard Tel. 02-644-4438,

Holon: 37A Beilinson Street, Tel. 03-501-4717

Yad Sarah's comprehensive services for the homebound and elderly endeavors to supply an answer to nearly every problem or question that aged and homebound people and their families encounter. Volunteers bring projects to activate hands and minds and raise morale: handicrafts, computer instruction (and computers), work with potted plants, taping and typing of life stories, wheelchair outings, and more. In addition to dispelling boredom and engaging the person’s time in enjoyable, creative and even challenging activity, these projects boost the individual’s self-esteem and his or her image in the eyes of family and friends. The person’s abilities, limitations and interests are first evaluated by a visiting trained volunteer professional, who then recommends the suitable activity. Specially trained volunteers maintain contact and give guidance during weekly home visits.  Some 320 people in Jerusalem, and a similar number in 11 other cities (with two more planned), receive these services, and more than 1,000 others receive follow-up phone calls from Yad Sarah volunteers. 

Mobile workshops manned by volunteers bring to the homebound and elderly a quick fix-it. One phone call and the broken pipe, lock or chair is back in working order. A vital service for elderly people living alone who are afraid to have strangers come into their homes. The Yad Sarah volunteer also installs front door peep-holes and safety rails where requested.

For more information call  02-644-4577.

The Yad Sarah Golden Age Club, run by volunteers, serves the senior population of Jerusalem to enrich their leisure hours. Its wide variety of programs includes courses in liberal arts, social studies, languages, fine arts, dance, Tai Chi, physical education, bridge, games, Bible, the weekly Bible portion and more. Other services are chiropody, manicure, pedicure and reflexology. Discount tickets to concerts, theater, exhibits and the like are sold, as are pre-cooked, frozen meals at low cost.

The club has a cafeteria offering snacks, light meals and coffee, all at nominal cost.

For more information call 02-644-4429

outreach@yadsarah.org.il

Yad Sarah maintains a unique computerized data bank comprising full details on all services available for the elderly everywhere in Israel. The information is arranged according to subject, geographical location and the applicant’s particular needs. The program also gives full information on all Yad Sarah’s services. The project is a joint service with Eshel-JDC.

Callers can inquire about a range of subjects, including transportation services, homes for the aged, golden age clubs, nursing services, supply of food and meals, rest homes, advice about where financial help is available, Yad Sarah services (lending of equipment, emergency alarms, etc.), and more. Questions can be asked by telephone; answers will be supplied on the spot, or by phone, mail or fax.

For further details, call: 02-644-4633

informationcenter@yadsarah.org.il

Families of special needs children seeking information, support or guidance have a special hotline (02-6444488 or call *64446  and ask for the "Mishakia").   On our special playground see HERE

Yad Sarah's home-delivered clean bedding and night clothes for the incontinent eases the burden on the caregivers. Yad Sarah volunteers wash, dry, mend, iron and fold. This service is sometimes the crucial factor in enabling families to care for their loved ones at home.

To order service:

Jerusalem: Yad Sarah House 124 Herzl Blvd. Tel: 02-644-4577

Outreach@yadsarah.org.il

Yad Sarah supplies ready-cooked, frozen meals at a nominal fee. The meal includes a main portion of either  meat, fish, or a vegetarian portion plus two sides dishes consisting of a starch and a vegetable. There is also an option of ordering soup. The meal arrives frozen from a catering company in Mevo Horon. Meals can be purchased directly from Yad Sarah or via a messenger who will deliver the meals directly to one's home.

By supplying oxygen concentrating machines and standby cylinders of 100 percent oxygen, Yad Sarah enables hundreds of people with respiratory problems to live at home or travel instead of being hospitalized. Other high-tech equipment available at the Special Equipment Centers includes pulse oximeters (to monitor level of oxygen in blood and thereby regulate oxygen supply), inhalation machines, CPM physiotherapy apparatus for arms and legs, infusion equipment and more. Trained staff instructs borrowers in use of the equipment.

Available at National Center for Special Equipment,Yad Sarah House, 124 Herzl Blvd. Jerusalem, Tel. 02-644-4622 AND at the regional centers in Beersheba, Rehovot, Herzliya, Rishon Le-Zion, Nahariya. Can be ordered from any branch.

SpecialEquipment@yadsarah.org.il

Here recent immigrants from the former Soviet Union aged 55-plus are employed and learn a new trade: producing and assembling orthopedic and electronic equipment. This is a major money saver for Yad Sarah compared to importing whole wheelchairs and walkers, and a solution to the employment problem of older immigrants who have a technical or engineering background. Known as The Norway Center in recognition of support received from a Norwegian charitable organization.