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Israel's 'Seniors Mall' Offers Employment and Social Opportunity for Elderly
As the proportion of elderly in western society continues to grow, so does the need to boost their financial independence and activity levels. In Israel, home to some 680,000 senior citizens, JDC-ESHEL — the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee's partnership with the Israeli Government for the planning and development of services for Israel's elderly — has developed employment programs which offer seniors additional income and a supportive social framework.
One example is the Seniors Mall in Upper Nazareth in Israel's Galilee region. Home to 50,000 residents, Upper Nazareth has doubled in size over the past decade with the large influx of new immigrants from the former Soviet Union. In a bid to help the city's elderly including many new immigrants, JDC-ESHEL has built a unique shopping mall which is staffed exclusively by seniors and houses a full range of shops and services that reflect the seniors' professional experience and business acumen, including a cafe, second-hand clothing store, flower stall, bakery, beauty parlor, shoe repairers, a DVD store, and the neighborhood post office. The mall helps the elderly generate income by accommodating their needs: Shifts allow the employees to work while still leaving sufficient time to rest and participate in other activities, and the mall's unique payment system ensures that the elderly are not concerned with tax regulations and bureaucratic procedures for their stores. Instead of accepting money in individual shops, consumers receive vouchers which they use to pay for their goods at a central cash register. Situated within a complex that houses a daycare center for the elderly, the mall also encourages them to make new friends. Community events held in the mall as well as direct access from the daycare center foster social interaction and engender a sense of belonging among an often isolated population. JDC-ESHEL seeks to duplicate this model in other locations in Israel and continues to operate other employment programs tailored to the elderly, including retraining them to work in stock management, electronics and carpentry skills. May 2006 |
