The Supportive Community and the Gallen Adult Health Care Center - Term Paper Example

? The “Supportive Community” (Israel) and the Gallen Adult Health Care Center (Rockleigh, New Jersey A Comparison The “Supportive Community” (Israel) and the Gallen Adult Health Care Center (Rockleigh, New Jersey): A Comparison One of the most important components of a society is the elderly, especially in developed countries where the life expectancy is high, giving way for the population to thrive. However, the elderly population in any society also has a special case. First of all, the elderly is more likely than not already outside the labor force, given the mandatory retiring age that most countries, especially in developed ones, generally accept. In this case, unless they are rich and own businesses, it falls to both the government and the private sector to take care of the elderly, giving way for the presence of elderly care centers. In this case, this paper would try to compare and contrast two different elderly care agencies, one in Israel and one in the United States. For this paper, the researcher has chosen the “Supportive Community,” one of the foremost programs that aims to create a better quality of life for the elderly in Israel, and is supported by The Association for the Planning and Development of Services for the Aged in Israel (JDC-ESHEL—a non-profit organization), the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, and the Israeli government itself (Thein, 2003). This program will be compared to a similar elderly care program for Jews living in the United States, the Gallen Adult Day Health Care Center (also known as the Jewish Home for Rockleigh), located at Rockleigh, New Jersey (“Jewish Home,” n. d.). In the first part of the paper, the researcher would try to fully describe the “Supportive Community” program of JDC-ESHEL. This would include its official description, its goals and aims, its overall organizational and administrative structure, and as well as suggestions on how can they actually improve the delivery of their services to the elderly. After this, the second part of the paper would then focus on describing the nature of the Gallen Adult Day Health Care Center, including their goals and objectives, their structure, the nature of their delivery of elderly care services, and as well as suggestions on how they can actually improve their services. The third part of the paper would then try to compare and contrast the two elderly care agencies, focusing first on the similarities and the differences of the said agencies. This would include comparing and contrasting their physical arrangements, their staffing, their transportation provisions, their activities, and most importantly, the specific services that they give to the elderly. In addition, the researcher would also try to give a personal evaluation of these two agencies, and as well as suggestions and recommendations on how they can develop and improve their services with respect to their mission and objectives. It is true that Israel has one of the youngest populations among highly developed countries (Bronsky & Berg-Warman, 2006). However, it is also true that the elderly population in the country has also witnessed a significant rise, especially as compared to other developing countries such as the United States and Canada, and this is seen as due to Israel’s relatively high birth rate (Bronsky & Berg-Warman, 2006). In this case, statistics actually suggest that the elderly population of Israel in 2006 has already risen to almost 10% of the population, from only 4% in 1948, the year Israel as a state was established (Bronsky & Berg-Warman, 2006). With the elderly being a significant percentage of the Israeli population, it is understandable that there is a need for the establishment of an agency that will cater to the needs of the ageing population of Israel. To answer this problem, The Association for the Planning and Development of Services for the Aged in Israel (JDC-ESHEL), a non-government organization, launched the “Supportive Community” program, in partnership with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the Israeli government (Thein, 2003). According to Thalom Shein (2003), the aims of the JDC-ESHEL is to …improve the status of the elderly population in Israel, developing conditions and services to guarantee better quality of life for the elderly, and to improve the image of older people to society as a whole. (p. 2) In this case, it can be seen that the agency is actually dedicated from the start in focusing on the development of the quality of life of the Israeli ageing population. Of course, just like any other agency that caters to elderly care, the “Supportive Community” program under the JDC-ESHE: has its own vision and mission, which aims to set the tone as a guide for the provision of their services. According to Thein (2003), the vision of this agency is to …create a society whose senior citizens enjoy a positive image and a high quality of life. This enables the elderly and their families to be an integral part of society, enjoying effective, accessible and high quality services (p. 2) While the vision of this agency is actually to help create a society that gives the elderly a better quality of life than now, its mission focuses on development and innovation for providing the needs of the elderly (Thein, 2003). According to Thein (2003), the mission of this agency is to …ensure dignity, good health, well being, independence, and active and creative aging for every older person. This is done through planning and developing new and innovative services, and through the improvement of existing services at local, regional and national levels for the elderly in Israel. (p. 2) Analyzing the vision and the mission of the JDC-ESHEL, the agency that actually implements the “Supportive Community” program, they actually have a deep and far-ranging commitment on improving the quality of life of the elderly on a nationwide scale, and as well as a willingness to undergo innovations in order to develop and improve their services to the elderly. In this case, then, what is the definition of the “Supportive Community” program, and how does it contribute to achieving the mission and vision of the agency? Thein (2003) again provides a definition of the “Supportive Community” program. According to him, The Supportive Community program is a package of services provided to participating elderly living in a designated geographic community. The program reduces the need for elderly to move to homes for the aged, or other special facilities as they age and their functional abilities decline, and allows them to remain at home in their communities by delivering necessary services to them. (Thein, 2003, p. 3) As it can be seen in the definition, the Supportive Community program actually provides a wide range of services to the elderly, from the provision of infrastructure services for shelter to the elderly, until the provision of other special facilities that may help them get the necessary services that they need in particular. In order to provide such services, the agency has actually developed, under this specific program, two models that will guide them in their operations (Thein, 2003). These are the social model (which also includes its organizational model) and its economic model (Thein, 2003). While the social model enables the agency to effectively provide services to the elderly, the economic model is also important, assuring the sustainability and the continuity of the said program (Thein, 2003). One of the main considerations that the agency considered is focusing on the specific needs of the elderly, and how it can effectively be addressed (Thein, 2003). In this case, the agency actually identified four main areas of need by the elderly that they serve. This includes: Assistance in coping with day to day life Personal safety Social belonging and Accessibility of medical services (Thein, 2003). From these specific needs, the “Supportive Community” program was actually designed to effectively provide a suitable response to each of these four areas (Thein, 2003). In addition, this program was also designed to ensure that the functional and integrative components of these four areas are addressed accordingly (Thein, 2003). The “Supportive Community” program then designed its organizational structure to specifically meet these four areas, focusing on what it calls the “Basket of Services” (Thein, 2003). The Program Coordinator tops this list, ensuring the program’s overall operation and coordinating its activities with other agencies; next in line is the neighborhood “father and mother” who is actually in charge with the “support and assistance to members, performs minor repairs, locates and supervises repairmen for major repairs” and is “available and on call 24-hours a day through a cellular phone, and who accompanies program members to the hospital emergency room” (Thein, 2003). Other components of the program includes the medical services department (which gives services for a nominal fee), an emergency call system for the use of the elderly, regular social activities (including social meeting, lectures, classes, and outings, among others), general assistance, and most especially, an open line for communication and transparency (Thein, 2003). In order to calibrate these different components, the program is managed by two main committees (the steering committee and the operating committee), as well as the coordination of interested volunteers (Thein, 2003). In addition to the social mode, the “Supportive Community” program also consists of an economic model, which is designed to ensure the sustainability of this program (Thein, 2003). In addition, the economic model is aimed towards economic self-sufficiency of all of the different programs. In order to ensure this, this economic model was actually based on the following principles: Constant coordination and consultation to local and national government units to be able to win their long term support Financial assistance for startups with the perspective of a declining scale, after which the program would be self sufficient from monthly fees (Thein, 2003). Personally, I actually think that the overall objectives of the program is very helpful for the elderly to have a better quality of life, and I thought that the agency (JDC-ESHEL) has become very effective in setting up effective and sustainable models in order to achieve their objectives. One of the most difficult tasks of an NGO like JDC-ESHEL is to ensure the financial sustainability of their programs, and the agency has done a very good part in developing a viable socio-economic model to sustain their operations in a smooth manner. In this case, I actually recommend that JDC-ESHEL must be able to garner permanent partnerships not only from the government, but from international agencies as well, especially the ones who are engaged in elderly care, in order to widen their operations. Like the “Supportive Community” program that is supported by the JDC-ESHEL, there is also a similar agency in the United States that caters to a similar population (the Jewish elderly). Found in Rockleigh, New Jersey, this elderly care institution is named the Gallen Adult Day Health Care Center, also known as the Jewish Home of Rockleigh (“Jewish Home,” n. d.). The Jewish Home of Rockleigh claims to be not just an ordinary elderly care center. Aside from the fact that they also have programs that actually cater to the specific needs of the Jewish elderly; they also claim to have a unique commitment on long-term rehabilitative care for their clients (“Jewish Home,” n. d.). According to their website, the Jewish Home of Rockleigh is defined as The Jewish Home enjoys a wonderful tradition of serving the needs of the thousands of elderly and their families in Hudson and Bergen counties. We have responded to the changing demands of the Jewish community, evolving…to a state-of-the-art center for long-term and rehabilitative elder care…Our primary role is to enable people to remain at home for as long as possible by providing them with outpatient services such as Adult Medical Health Care, physical and occupational therapy, and medical, dental, ophthalmologic and podiatric services. We also network with other Jewish community agencies to provide kosher meals for the elderly throughout Hudson and Bergen County (“Jewish Home,” n. d.) Based from this definition, it can actually be inferred that the Jewish Home of Rockleigh actually focuses on two main needs of the Jewish elderly: their medical needs and as well as their social needs. In this case, it is understandable why this agency actually claims to be an advocate of long term rehabilitation for the elderly, given that they actually put an emphasis on the physiological well-being of the elderly, making them preserve their social activities, especially given the fact that they have Jewish traditions where they are obligated to participate (“Jewish Home,” n. d.). Aside from the fact that they are dedicated to providing rehabilitative care for the elderly, the vision and the mission of this agency also claims that they aim to create a “genuine home” for the Jewish elderly, especially in proximate counties of New Jersey (“Jewish Home,” n. d.). As stated by their website, We have dedicated ourselves to creating a genuine home for our residents and their families. Our experienced professional staff provides superb health care and supportive services in an environment that is filled with warmth, beauty and life. Our programs, services and amenities have been designed to meet the social, cultural, religious and recreational needs of our residents, as well as provide exciting opportunities for enrichment of their daily lives. The result is a unique and vibrant quality of life that emphasizes total family and community involvement (“Jewish Home,” n. d.) Of course, without being able to restore the physiological vigor of the elderly, their activities will be limited, and their social life would be affected. Especially to the Jewish elderly, being able to participate in social activities would mean a big thing, given that such activities both have a spiritual and recreational significance. This is another the reason why the objectives of this agency puts a stress on physiological rehabilitation, for it enables the elderly to regain their capabilities in enjoying the most out of their life (“Jewish Home,” n. d.). In order to ensure that the Jewish Home of Rockleigh is able to meet their objectives, specifically in providing rehabilitative care for the elderly, it is important to have an organizational structure that is aligned with these objectives. This is the reason why the Jewish Home of Rockleigh has subdivided its organizational structure into different departments; for the creation of such departments would help the agency calibrate their operations and effectively bring rehabilitative care to the elderly (“Jewish Home,” n. d.). The team of the Jewish Home of Rockleigh actually consists of the following departments: Nursing Medical Rehabilitation Services Social Services Therapeutic Recreation (“Jewish Home,” n. d.). In this case, I actually think that based on the objectives, the agency has properly planned out on how it could effectively provide its desired services to the elderly. By effectively structuring its organizational set-up on creating different sub departments that will cater to each specific need, the Jewish Home of Rockleigh is ensuring that rehabilitative health care for the elderly is always looked forward to by the organization. However, I also have to point out that the sustainability of the program is in question, given that the agency has not provided for feasibility models that ensures long-term sustainability of programs, especially on the economic side of it. One serious implication of this weakness is its inability to expand its services beyond its present target population. One of the most striking similarities of both agencies is the fact that they both serve a specific population, the Jewish elderly. Take note that the Jewish elderly has special needs that needs to be attended to, especially in their ability to participate in social gatherings that have a religious significance. In addition, both of these agencies also focus on long-term care for the elderly, and in providing them a higher quality of life. However, it is also true that they have striking differences. While the “Supportive Community” program of the JDC-ESHEL has a wide vision and mission (that is, creating a better society for the elderly, especially in providing them a higher quality of life), the Gallen Adult Health Care Center has limited objectives, focusing on providing rehabilitative health care for a limited population of the Jewish elderly (those within New Jersey). While the “Supportive Community” program of the JDC-ESHEL has a national scope, the Gallen Adult Health Care Center has a limited scope, focusing on their immediate locality. Also, the “Supportive Community” program of the JDC-ESHEL has a more carefully planned organizational set-up to meet its goals, and has a model for sustainability of its operations. References Adult Day. Retrieved from http://www.andthoushalthonor.org/nj/alz.html Auslander, G., Soffer, M., & Auslander, A. (2003). The supportive community: Help seeking and service use among elderly people in Jerusalem. Social Work Research, 27(4), 209-221. Brodsky, J. & Berg-Warman, A. (2006). The Supportive Community: A Program to Enhance the Quality of Life of the Elderly in Israel. Journal of Jewish Communal Service, 201-209. Gallen Adult Day Health Care Center. In FOLO. Retrieved from http://www.familiesoflovedones.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=80&Itemid=31 Jewish Family Services Day Care Center. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/business-jewish-family-services-day-care-center_414-963-9380/ Jewish Home. Retrieved from http://www.jewishhomerockleigh.org/daycare.html Lipowski, J. (2009). Adult day-care center lobbies for Medicare funds. In New Jersey Jewish Standard. Retrieved from http://www.jstandard.com/content/item/adult_day-care_center_lobbies_for_medicare_funds/10798 Steiner, S. (2010). Meet the Gallen Adult Day Health Care Gang. In Jewish Home Family News. Retrieved from http://www.jewishhomefamily.org/news-10dec/gadhc.html Thein, S. (2003). Supportive Communities–Aging in Place in Israel. JDC-ESHEL The Association for the Planning and Development of Services for the Aged in Israel, 1-21. Volunteer Programs. In JDC – ESHEL (The Association for the Planning and Development of Services for the Aged in Israel). Retrieved from http://en.eshelnet.org.il/default.asp?catid={ED9E673E-2D77-4CD9-B559-4DA2A2980AB4}&details_type=1&itemid={94C6D71A-AB4D-4F24-8FAC-4B50C66A53CD} Read More