Bnei Bayit

Dementia in a parent: "mentally frail", rights and where to turn

What "mentally frail" means and who decides, diagnosis, the long-term care benefit and supervision, day centres, wards, Ministry of Health funding, family support.

This page is for family members of a parent with memory problems or with dementia. It explains the terms, the rights and the bodies you can turn to, according to the pages of the government ministries, the National Insurance Institute and the organisations themselves. The information here is not medical advice. We do not check personal eligibility.

What "mentally frail" means and who decides

"Mentally frail" (תשוש נפש, tashush nefesh) is a Ministry of Health term. It is used to decide which type of ward suits a person.

According to the Ministry of Health page on choosing a nursing institution, a mentally frail person is someone with a decline in cognitive functions: significant difficulties with memory, orientation and judgement. They need close supervision. The setting that suits them is a ward for the mentally frail.

The full definition appears in the procedure of the Geriatrics Division of the Ministry of Health (PDF). According to the procedure, a mentally frail person is an ambulatory patient (one who walks) with a significant decline in brain function in memory, orientation and intellect. They need full help with daily activities, such as bathing, dressing, eating and using the toilet. They also need guidance when moving around and supervision of their safety at all hours of the day and night. The procedure states that the definition is only for the purpose of placement in a ward for the mentally frail.

According to the page on choosing an institution, the type of institution is set according to the person's medical and functional condition. This is their classification: for example frail (תשוש), nursing (סיעודי) or mentally frail. Each classification has a different ward that suits it.

Who decides. According to the Ministry of Health, the classification is set by a committee for the classification of chronic patients, headed by a physician who is a specialist in geriatrics, at the District Health Office. According to the Ministry of Health brochure on nursing hospitalisation (PDF), the committee can also decide that the person is neither "nursing" nor "mentally frail", because their condition calls for a different solution. According to the page on choosing an institution, when the condition improves or gets worse, the classification is reviewed again. The family can appeal: you submit a written request, with current or additional medical documents.

"Mentally frail" and "a person living with a mental illness". The Ministry of Health procedure has two separate definitions. "Mentally frail" is defined by cognitive decline. "Mentally disabled" (נכה נפש) is defined by a limitation in functioning because of a mental illness. When it comes to people with a mental illness, the Ministry of Health uses the term "people living with a mental illness" (מתמודדי נפש), for example on the page about the rehabilitation basket.

Diagnosis

According to the Ministry of Health diagnosis page, the first diagnosis is made by the family doctor. After that, the Ministry of Health suggests turning to a geriatric clinic for a comprehensive geriatric assessment. According to the warning signs page, the family doctor refers, when needed, to a specialist physician in geriatrics, neurology or psychiatry.

According to the Ministry of Health, the diagnosis of dementia, including a consultation with a specialist physician and a comprehensive geriatric assessment, is included in the basic health basket of the health funds.

People sometimes talk about a "memory clinic" (מרפאת זיכרון). In a letter from the Ministry of Health to the Knesset Health Committee, of 07.06.2026 (PDF), the ministry wrote: "There is no regulatory definition of a memory clinic." The ministry also wrote that memory clinics are not a basic part of the dementia diagnosis process. In the same letter the ministry mentions a list of diagnostic clinics on the website of EMDA (עמד"א), the organisation's website, and calls it a partial list.

The long-term care benefit (גמלת סיעוד) has a separate test, the dependency assessment (הערכת תלות), also called the functional test (בדיקת תפקוד). The National Insurance Institute checks functioning: the need for help and the need for supervision. More on this in the next section.

The long-term care benefit: supervision counts too

According to the National Insurance eligibility conditions page, the long-term care benefit is intended for residents of Israel who have reached retirement age. It is intended for someone who needs the help of another person with daily activities at home. It is also intended for someone who needs supervision and close monitoring. The reason is a medical and functional condition that puts them in immediate danger to life, or in danger of harming themselves or others.

The benefit is also subject to an income test (the income of the insured person and of their spouse). The details are on the eligibility conditions page.

The dependency assessment is done by a qualified assessor on behalf of the National Insurance Institute. The National Insurance pages do not list a diagnosis of dementia as a condition, or as a separate document that must be attached. You attach current medical documents to the claim, for example a medical information printout with diagnoses, or a hospitalisation summary from the last 3 months, according to the claim submission page.

According to the functional test page, when there is cognitive decline, a family member or a guardian must be present at the dependency assessment at home. According to the National Insurance frequently asked questions, the assessor's questionnaire has a special chapter on memory and orientation problems. The family member gives supplementary information on functioning. When the condition gets worse after the test, you can submit a request for a new test.

The benefit can fund care hours at home. According to the National Insurance level 3 page, you can replace some or all of the care hours with other services, among them a visit to a day centre.

Where the benefit continues and where it stops. According to the eligibility conditions page:

  • The benefit continues at home and in sheltered housing.
  • It continues in a ward for the independent or for the frail that is supervised and licensed by the Ministry of Welfare.
  • It is not paid in a nursing ward, a complex-nursing ward (סיעודי מורכב), a ward for the mentally frail, a prolonged-ventilation ward or a rehabilitation setting, which are supervised by the Ministry of Health.
  • It is also not paid when a public body funds most of the maintenance costs.
  • Someone who receives the benefit and moves to live in an institution fills in a form confirming residence in an institution and sends it to the branch.

What each level gives is explained in the guide to the long-term care benefit. How to fill in the claim is explained in the guide to form BL/2600. How to prepare for the test is explained in the guide to the dependency assessment.

Day centres for the mentally frail

According to the Ministry of Welfare day centres page, day centres are also intended for senior citizens with cognitive decline who need partial or constant supervision. The centres operate five days a week, in the morning hours, at least six hours a day. They provide breakfast and lunch, transport from home and back, a social worker and a multi-professional team. There is also help with bathing, dressing and moving around, and counselling for family members. The centres are operated by the local authority or by an organisation that won a tender of the local authority.

How to join. According to the Ministry of Welfare, you turn to a social worker at the social services department, or to the long-term care division (אגף הסיעוד) at the National Insurance Institute. You attach medical, nursing and social reports. An admissions committee at the centre decides whether the centre suits the person, and builds a care plan with them.

According to the Ministry of Health family support page, people with dementia can use dedicated day centres. These are settings for senior citizens with a decline in functioning, and in particular with cognitive decline. They are different from centres for older people that are intended for independent people. The Ministry of Health writes that you can find them through the welfare department in your town, or turn directly to the centre.

Payment. According to the National Insurance day centre page, the visit is counted as part of the benefit hours:

  • At levels 1 to 3, one visit a week equals 2 hours of care at home a week.
  • At levels 4 to 6, one visit a week equals 2 hours 45 minutes of care at home a week.
  • An example from the National Insurance Institute: at level 2 you receive 10 hours of care at home a week. Someone who visits a day centre once a week receives 8 hours of care at home a week.
  • According to the National Insurance Institute, there is an additional payment of ILS 15 for each visit.

According to the Ministry of Welfare, someone who is not eligible for the long-term care benefit pays a subsidised amount according to a table of the ministry.

How many centres there were in 2022. According to a report by the Knesset Research and Information Center (PDF), as of 2022 about 180 day centres were operating in Israel. Of them, 24 were dedicated centres for the mentally frail. Another 74 centres had a dedicated wing. In total there were 2,718 places dedicated to the mentally frail. The report states that the Ministry of Health and other bodies estimated the number of people with dementia in Israel at about 150,000, and that it is not clear what this figure is based on. According to the report, the Ministry of Health did not have a national dementia registry at that time. In the letter of 07.06.2026 the ministry wrote that a periodic dementia survey, with reports from all the health funds, serves as a database instead of a registry.

Where to look. The National Insurance Institute has a search for long-term care service providers by town, which also includes day centres. To find out whether a particular centre accepts people with dementia, check with the centre itself. The Melabev (מלב"ב) association runs day centres (the organisation's website) in the Jerusalem area and in Beit Shemesh. According to its website, they have groups for speakers of Hebrew, Russian, English and French.

A ward for the mentally frail in a nursing home

According to the Ministry of Health, a ward for the mentally frail operates under a licence for the care of the mentally frail (procedure 0.3.1). It is intended for someone who needs close supervision. In the letter to the Knesset of 07.06.2026, the ministry wrote that there are no special beds for people with dementia. According to the ministry, the only complete separation is in the wards for the mentally frail, for residents who, without suitable supervision, may endanger themselves or those around them. According to the same letter, at the time it was written there were 4,834 beds for the mentally frail.

Ministry of Health funding (the "code", קוד). According to the Ministry of Health code page, the ministry offers assistance in funding hospitalisation for patients classified as nursing (סיעודי) or mentally frail. The assistance is set according to the financial situation of the patient and of the family members. You submit a request with an online form, or to the department for chronic illness at the District Health Office in your area of residence.

According to Ministry of Health Director General circular 8/2018 (PDF), the people who share in the payment are the patient, their spouse, and their sons and daughters from age 21. According to the circular, you can ask for a particular institution only if it is included in the agreement with the Ministry of Health, it has a ward that suits the condition, and there is a free place in that ward. Even when the family members share in the funding, according to the Ministry of Health brochure the institution itself is forbidden to demand and collect money from a patient hospitalised with the ministry's funding, or from their family members. The Ministry of Health calculator gives an estimate only. The official amount is set at the District Health Office. More on funding: When there is not enough money for a care setting.

As mentioned above, the National Insurance long-term care benefit is not paid in a ward for the mentally frail supervised by the Ministry of Health.

In the catalogue. On this site you can filter the institutions that are marked in the Ministry of Health register as providing care for the mentally frail: institutions with care for the mentally frail. The mark does not mean that the institution suits a particular person. Whether it suits is checked on a visit to the place.

Support for the family

EMDA. According to the EMDA website (the organisation's website), the telephone support and counselling centre at ‎*8889 is free of charge. It offers a listening ear and counselling for family members and for patients, and you can call from any phone. You can also ask for an answer in Arabic, English, Russian, French, Dutch and Spanish: you leave a message in Hebrew and state the language you want. The organisation writes that the centre does not give medical or legal advice, only general guidance. Another number on the EMDA home page: 09-7939318. According to EMDA, there are local support groups and support groups on Zoom.

Ezer Mizion (עזר מציון), the "Tzipora Fried" centre. On the family support page, the Ministry of Health mentions it as a dedicated Ezer Mizion centre for supporting the families of people with Alzheimer's. According to the Ezer Mizion website (the organisation's website), the centre offers counselling and emotional support, help with claiming rights, and support groups. It also has social clubs for people with dementia in the early stages of the disease. The general Ezer Mizion phone number: ‎*2236. To join the clubs: 073-3956807.

The same Ministry of Health page lists other organisations, among them Melabev and the Israel Patients' Rights Association.

Young-onset dementia

According to EMDA (the organisation's website), dementia diagnosed before age 65 is considered "young-onset dementia". We did not find an official figure on the number of these people in Israel, and the numbers of the different organisations are not the same. According to the Ministry of Health diagnosis page, a relatively early age, under 60, is one of the cases in which a referral to a specialist physician may be needed. This is not the definition of "young-onset dementia", and so the age is different from EMDA's.

The long-term care benefit is intended for someone who has reached retirement age. According to the National Insurance special services allowance page, up to retirement age there is a different allowance, the special services allowance (קצבת שירותים מיוחדים): for someone who needs a lot of help with daily activities, or constant supervision to prevent danger to their own life or to the lives of others.

Before the condition progresses

A lasting power of attorney (ייפוי כוח מתמשך) can be drawn up as long as the parent understands the meaning of the document. According to the Public Guardian's questions and answers for lawyers (PDF), the lawyer examines this case by case, and a diagnosis of dementia in itself does not automatically rule it out. How to do it is explained in the guide to the lasting power of attorney. The steps in order are on the page "When a parent is diagnosed with dementia".

Sources

All pages were read on 03.11.2026.

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