Farewell Tel Aviv . . .

Thursday brought an excellent discussion of mediation in cases of elder abuse and a joint presentation from the Israeli and US Alzheimers Association. It appears the US is ahead in court related mediation and Israel leads in community based mediation. The Israelis are very innovative in providing items to stimulate patients mentally and physically. The Israeli Alzheimer's Association, or EMDA, created an innovative "box of tricks",.The family members and caregivers are trained in the use of the activity box which facilitates anyone to interact more meaningfully with patients

The meeting was held at KESHET a multi-level long term care facility which provides day care through nursing level care. One of their innovations is the "snooze room" to calm and relax both patients and their caregivers. The room resembled the last Justice Ball with white curtains, lava lamps and mood music...I kept looking around for someone on stilts...It was a great experience and one that appears to require very little monetary expenditure to transform a room into a sensory wonderland complete with aroma therapy and white couches...Is Kathy English moonlighting in Tel Aviv?

The emphasis on caregivers is striking. The Israelis are concentrating on ways to keep caregivers from burning out. They provide activities at day care centers for both patients and their caregivers in separate locations...both parties receive a much needed respite. Respite care is widely believed to be a critical tool in preventing elder abuse.

During a farewell lunch we spoke about overriding themes and issues we want to work on together. Mediation and caregiver training seemed to be the two areas that would benefit from collaborative efforts. LA appreciated the amazing efforts of Tel Aviv in amassing over 80 professionals from all over the country who gave of their time to make the sessions so meaningful.. Tel Aviv was delighted with the diversity of the LA delegation (containing social workers, lawyers, and a judge) and the varied viewpoints they presented.

We have had an amazing week, jam packed with people, places, coffee and cake. The Tel Aviv LA Partnership should be renamed "Birthright for adults"...for those unfamiliar with Birthright, it is an all expense paid ten day trip to Israel for young adults with of Jewish ancestry.

Many of the delegates have attended conferences and been part of US and international delegations, but none expressed having been a part of anything like this. Tel Aviv opened their city to us and shared extraordinary amounts of time and passion. We look forward to staying in touch and building on the work done this week and in welcoming Israeli elder care professionals to LA.