Glossary of elderly-care terms in Israel

On the way to arranging care for an elderly parent, families meet many Hebrew terms — in documents, in a conversation with a social worker, in facilities' advertising. This glossary explains the key words in plain English: transliteration, the Hebrew original, and a short neutral explanation. It is a reference, not a recommendation of a particular route or facility.

Types of setting

Diur mugan (דיור מוגן) — sheltered housing for independent older adults: self-contained living units plus services (security, catering, leisure, an emergency call system). Usually private, with a deposit.

Beit avot (בית אבות) — literally "home for the elderly"; a general name for a residential setting for older people. May include wards at different levels of care.

Atzmaim (עצמאיים) — "independent": older people who manage on their own in daily life. The corresponding wards/settings are supervised by the Ministry of Welfare.

Tashushim (תשושים) — "frail": people who need help with some daily activities, but not full nursing care.

Siudi (סיעודי) — "nursing-dependent": someone who cannot perform basic activities on their own and needs close care. These wards are supervised by the Ministry of Health.

Tashushei nefesh (תשושי נפש) — people with significant cognitive decline (for example in dementia); there are dedicated wards for them.

Funding and rights

Kod (קוד משרד הבריאות) — the Ministry of Health code: assistance from the Ministry of Health in funding a stay (in the ministry's wording, "hospitalisation") in a nursing institution of someone classified as nursing (siudi) or mentally frail (tashush nefesh); the institution must have an agreement with the ministry. See cost and funding.

Vaadat sivug (ועדת סיווג) — a committee at the District Health Office, headed by a physician who is a specialist in geriatrics, that determines whether a person is classified as nursing (siudi) or mentally frail (tashush nefesh). A nurse visits before it, and sometimes a social worker.

Lishkat briut (לשכת בריאות) — the District Health Office, the regional office of the Ministry of Health. A request for the code is submitted to its department for chronic illness (מחלות ממושכות), according to the address on the identity card.

Gimlat siud (גמלת סיעוד) — a benefit from the National Insurance Institute for someone who has reached retirement age, subject to an income test and a dependency assessment (care hours, services or money), at home, in sheltered housing, or in a ward for the independent or the frail that is licensed by the Ministry of Welfare; it stops in wards supervised by the Ministry of Health. See long-term care benefit.

Mivchan hachnasa (מבחן הכנסה) — the income test: the calculation of the co-payment for the code, based on the income, income from real estate and financial assets of the patient and the spouse, and on the current income of sons and daughters from age 21 who live in Israel. Details in Ministry of Health Director General circular 8/2018. An estimated calculation is done in the Ministry of Health calculator.

Revacha (רווחה) — partial assistance from the Ministry of Welfare in funding a ward for the frail, with a contribution from the resident or the family, through the local authority's welfare office.

Pikadon (פיקדון) — a large one-time deposit on entry to sheltered housing, eroded over time per the contract; the amount returned is set in the agreement, and the law sets the return date and linkage to the consumer price index.

Mismach gilui (מסמך גילוי) — the information that a sheltered-housing operator is required to disclose to a prospective resident before the contract is signed.

People and care at home

Metapel/et (מטפל/ת) — a caregiver who provides day-to-day care and assistance to an older person.

Oved zar (siudi) (עובד זר) — a foreign care worker; employing one requires a special permit.

Legal and oversight

Yipui koach matmish (ייפוי כוח מתמשך) — a lasting power of attorney: a document drawn up in advance that sets out who will make decisions if the person loses legal capacity. See the separate guide.

Apotropos (אפוטרופוס) — a guardian appointed by the court when a person can no longer make decisions and no lasting power of attorney was drawn up in advance.

Shikum (שיקום) — rehabilitation (for example after a stroke or a fracture); eligibility is determined medically and the funding is through the health fund.

Pikuach (פיקוח) — government inspections of settings. How to read an inspection report — in a separate guide.

Sources

• Ministry of Welfare: retirement homes: about the framework and supervision, assisted living: about the framework
• Ministry of Health: hospitalisation with a code, choosing a facility, information brochure, Director General circular 8/2018, geriatric rehabilitation
• National Insurance Institute: eligibility conditions for the long-term care benefit
• Nevo: the Sheltered Housing Law, תשע"ב-2012
• Population and Immigration Authority: employing a foreign worker in the nursing sector
• Office of the Public Guardian: guardianship, questions and answers