The Blog From the Heart
Hiring a Foreign Caregiver? Here are Some Tips for Hiring the Right Person
Ask anyone who has done it, the process of hiring a foreign caregiver in Israel is daunting. Beyond the bureaucracy of applying for a permit, “Chok Siyud” (Bituach Leumi’s long-term care benefits) and other related benefits, the real challenge is finding the right...
Communicating with someone who has Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia
Communicating with someone who has Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia can be challenging. Your loved one may have difficulty expressing her or himself or understanding you, and you may have a hard time understanding what she or he is trying to communicate....
Confused About How to Budget for a Live-In Foreign Caregiver? Here are the Nuts and Bolts
Base Salary Base Salary is linked to the Israeli minimum wage, currently NIS 5300/month, which may include the mandatory payment of NIS 100/week as “pocket money”. More experienced caregivers may ask for more. Different people state the Base Salary in different...
Give Your Family the Gift of Planning for Aging
(This post originally appeared in the Times of Israel) As the owner of a Geriatric Care Management company, I know first-hand how agonizing it is for adult children to make care decisions for a cognitively impaired parent who has not made his or her wishes clearly...
How to Protect Your Elderly Loved One from Consumer Fraud
I recently met “Sarah”, an 80-year-old widow and Holocaust survivor. She lived in the same town as one of her sons and had frequent interaction and visits from her family. Sara had taken a silver, Austrian candelabra which she inherited from her mother to a...
How do you know that it’s time to have “the talk” with your elderly parents?
Several years ago, my client “Michelle” came to me with some observations about her parents. “Recently, after feeling anxious about my folks, I found myself dropping in for visits more frequently to check on them. Once, I came into their apartment and smelled smoke...
The Art of Premium Parenting: Should You Keep Your Mouth Shut and Your Wallet Open?
This is a guest blog by Dr. Michael Tobin; bio below. To set the stage for a discussion on premium parenting and grandparenting, let me share with you my parenting/grandparenting credentials: My wife Deborah and I are the proud parents of 4 married children, 3...
Hiring a Geriatric Care Manager: 7 Critical Traits to Look For
When Miriam came to Israel, she practically ran the Jerusalem-based assisted living facility she moved into. “She organized lectures for the English-speaking residents; she ran a movie night; she was even doing some writing for the facility. My mother was a...
Which Medical Specialists Does a Senior Citizen Really Need?
This guest post is authored by Aviva Yoselis, MPH, director of Health Advize and lead healthcare advocate for the Shira Pransky Project. Aviva has more than 20 years of experience in health advocacy and health system navigation. She has a broad understanding of the...
Stop, Drop and Run: 9 Tips on How to Be Ready for an Emergency Trip to Your Aging Parent
Your phone rings. It’s your father’s in-home caregiver. “It’s Mary,” says the voice on the other end of the line in her familiar accented English. “Your father fell and he was taken to the hospital. Can you come to Israel?” *** Maybe you were born in Israel but you...