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[At Home Respite Care] [Client
Intervention] Introducing
Shalom Bayit:
· At Home Respite Care, · Client Intervention, · Dial-a-Friend, · Diners' Club, · Meals on Wheels, · Outreach Library Services, · V.I.S.I.T AT-HOME
RESPITE The respite care program, promotes the mental and physical well-being of the senior caregiver by giving him/her a much needed break while providing a loved one at home with the companionship of a caring, empathetic and responsible volunteer. special people who have chosen to provide this invaluable service are carefully screened and trained by the Community Support Services Coordinator. Support for volunteers is provided on an on an ongoing basis. Program Cost is included in the Betel Centre membership. Short term counseling, referrals and
information are available in a variety of languages such as English, Russian,
French, Hebrew and Yiddish. Information about housing, pension
supplements, drug benefit programs, transportation, legal aid, income tax and
immigration. Our staff also arrange for professional assessments to
individuals who are experiencing difficulty living in the community. DIAL A
FRIEND DINERS
CLUB Russian-speaking seniors: join us for our Friday Diners Club between the hours of 11:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M.!
MEALS ON
WHEELS OUTREACH
LIBRARY SERVICE V.I.S.I.T Shalom
Bayit – Serving Isolated Jewish Seniors in Toronto By: Danielle Scheinman,
KOHN student, Bernard Betel Centre Increased frailty, reduced
mobility and poverty keep many Jewish seniors isolated in their apartment
buildings, unable to access daily services and programs. Although Jewish
community centres offer a multitude of different activities and programs for
more active seniors, it is recognized these services are not reaching the
isolated elderly, who do not leave their apartments to partake in community
life. Circle of Care and Bernard
Betel have come together to offer a wide range of support systems for both
active and isolated seniors as a way to serve the growing Jewish elderly
community in Toronto. Building on the previously
successful Warm Homes model employed by the Joint Distribution Committee in
the FSU and elsewhere, Circle of Care
and the Bernard Betel Centre will be operating Shalom Bayit (meaning Peaceful or Welcome
Home), a similar program in Toronto. The program, funded by the Jewish
Foundation of Greater Toronto, will focus on the 6,000 seniors living below
the poverty line and suffering from some form of disability. Apartment buildings with
high number of Jewish seniors have been identified. The program consists of a
meal and programming, as well as an opportunity for agencies to bring their
health and wellness monitoring to seniors. The Bernard Betel Centre,
with a long and trusted history of quality programming in the Jewish
community, will organize bi-monthly programmes in the pilot sites. Circle of
Care, with exceptional expertise in caring for isolated seniors in their
homes, will provide outreach services including social work. Russian and Yiddish programming will be
available in hopes of catering to a larger senior community Circle of Care and The
Bernard Betel Centre believe this is a meaningful way to bring services to
isolated, depressed and vulnerable elderly, who for a range of physical,
mental and financial reasons are unable to take advantage of the excellent
communal services. The connecting of seniors
to seniors within buildings means there will be an internal network of people
to look in on each other, which will thus improve wellbeing and reduce
isolation. Both agencies are committed to this program and believe it will
benefit and help to assist the increasing number of Jewish elderly in
Toronto. The pilot program will continue for 10 months. Several apartment buildings, with
nearly 70% of residents being Jewish, will be the start of the pilot program.
“These buildings have minimal activities for isolated, lonely and low-income
seniors,” says Natalie Zabolotsky, Program Coordinator for Shalom Bayit. The
hope is to increase socialization for those who are not able to access such
services outside of their apartment buildings. The Jewish community believes
this program is important and can be beneficial in helping our seniors deal
with their depression and immobility. “It’s a very challenging and exciting
new program.” says Natalie. For more information, please contact
Natalie Zabolotsky at 416 635-2860 x 498 For more information about Circle
of Care, go
to: http://www.circleofcare.com/ Additional information on service descriptions, times and costs, may be found in the Centre's program and service guide , The Monitor . |
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[About the BBCCL] [Recreation] [Education] This site was made possible by the generous contributions of our partners:
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the content of this site to the Bernard Betel Centre for Creative Living: Design (c) Copyright 1999 by Orpheus Web Design. |
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