Machi and Zchia have lived in Tarshiha, Israel all their lives. The parents of five children, they are used to being independent and self-sufficient. However, several years ago, Zchia began to suffer from heart disease and, as the couple did not want to be a burden on their children, they decided to join the Emergency Supportive Community (ESC). Since becoming a part of the ESC, Machi and Zchia now feel secure, knowing that help with home repairs and medical assistance is available whenever needed. The couple also regularly attends the club meetings and social activities.

Formed more than 30 years ago to allow Israel to continue to meet the needs of its older citizens, JDC-Eshel's first supportive community was established in Jerusalem in 1989. Today there are 108 such programs throughout the country, servicing a total of 15,000 elderly. The goal of the JDC-Eshel program – to allow the elderly to remain in their homes as they age – is shared with Atlanta's Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities program.

"There are many similarities between the work with the elderly in Israel and the work of the Jewish Federations, both in terms of the population and the programs," said Dr. Yitzhak Brick, the director general of JDC-Eshel, the Association for the Planning and Development Services for the Aged in Israel. In February, Dr. Brick visited Atlanta and met with members of the Federation's Aging Task Force and other leadership, to discuss the ongoing challenges associated with providing quality services for seniors.

In Israel, nearly 700,000 people – nearly 10 percent of the total population – are over age of 65. Israel's elderly population increases at twice the rate of the general population, according to Dr. Brick, so the need for cost-effective programs that provide quality care for the elderly is vital. By delivering services such as medical attention, counseling, meals, social events and a "house mother or father" for Israel's elderly, JDC-Eshel enables even the medically frail to remain in their homes.

Dr. Brick maintains that it is critical to find ways to allow seniors to "age in place," and to allow even the neediest to live out their lives in dignity with sufficient resources, surrounded by familiar people and belongings." The major advantage to the community is that this type of program is much less expensive (than nursing home care)," said Dr. Brick.

The most convincing evidence of the program's success comes from the residents themselves. "The Supportive Community is my lifeline," Olga, a new resident explains, "and Yehuda, the neighborhood father, is like my son."