An opening event on the subject of The Accessibility of Aging was held at Elwyn’s Weinberg Center on the evening of Wednesday, 20 December 2017.  Fifty people participated in the event: Center retirees and their families; Riva Muskal, Shalem Foundation director; supervisors from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services; social workers from the Caregivers’ Bureau; representatives of housing organizations and staff from Elwyn’s various facilities

The evening began with greetings from Riva Muskal, Shalem Foundation director, Huda Abu-Sway, Ministry of Social Affairs’ regional supervisor, and Nora Kiewelowicz, director of Elwyn’s Jerusalem and Southern Israel Branch.

Basing her talk on central themes from her research, Niri David lectured on the topic, “The Aging Experience among People with Cognitive Disabilities”. Retirees spoke about their individual experiences as participants in groups dedicated to the topic of “Understanding Aging,” presented in short video films, together with a guide for viewing the films, produced by the Shalem Foundation

Event participants exited the evening with positive impressions. The theme was one of importance and for some participants it was their first exposure to the topic.

Participants commented that they learned about approaching the subject of aging in general, and aging among people with cognitive disabilities in particular, as well as other subjects relating to people with cognitive disabilities and people in general such as choice and finances

Retirees participating in the event, generally used to seeing Niri David in short video films, were duly impressed by her words during the evening. Taking an active part in the lecture, they shared experiences regarding aging and retirement, and expressed their satisfaction from the process they are experiencing in the group, “Understanding Aging.”

The retirees, together with Weinberg Center staff, thanked the Shalem Foundation and Niri David for the important information, the videos and the guide, all of which assisted staff in teaching Weinberg Center retirees and offering support to help them acclimate to this stage of their lives

The Shalem Foundation funded development of the short video films and the guide to viewing the films, and supported the event at Elwyn, Jerusalem as well