Elderly women with caretaker in Tel Aviv
Elderly women with caretaker in Tel AvivFlash90

Israel has a severe shortage of elderly care workers, with most of them coming from abroad, largely from India and the Philippines. To address the issue, the IDF will be training graduates from National Service and demobilized soldiers looking for a job in skills to assist the elderly.

The first pilot program opened recently in Afula, with 21 young adults receiving training and being dispatched to nearby old age homes. The program was considered a success and will be expanded to include some 2,000 participants around the country.

The private sector has had a great deal of difficulty in recruiting Israelis for these kinds of jobs, partly because the pay is low – the government will be subsidizing part of the salaries to assist with that – but also because the work can be frustrating, and until now there has been no training program to teach these skills. The new IDF program hopes to change that.

The course is being administered by a private organization, and the 5,500 shekel tuition will be paid by the government.

Demobilized soldiers and National Service recruits who have finished two years of service will be eligible for an 11,000 shekel bonus, which is being funded by several social service groups that work with the elderly, together with the government.