June 15, 2020 marked the World Health Organization’s designation of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, to publicize the widespread abuse of older adults and raise awareness for the great need for social and legal services to help elders living with abuse.

A new grant to MARVA from an anonymous Israeli foundation has helped facilitate the launch of “Merkaz Semel,” a nationwide initiative to provide MARVA’s legal aid and therapeutic services for the population of people with psychiatric disabilities who live in the community. 

Article published in eJewish Philanthropy 

MARVA will be playing a central role in the nationwide implementation of the Supported Decision-Making program as an alternative to guardianship.

In Israel, approximately 150,000 older adults live with dementia, a condition of cognitive decline that can continue over a period as long as 15 years. This population is at particular risk of losing their legal rights; in the past, a vast majority of adults diagnosed with dementia were appointed a legal guardian by the state.

MARVA’s Clinic for the Rights of the Elderly and Holocaust Survivors, now in its third year at the Academic Center of Law and Science in Hod Hasharon, handles cases concerning the physical, mental, and economic well-being of the elderly person.

MARVA has been awarded a grant from the National Insurance Institute to provide emergency legal assistance during the pandemic crisis. Since the outbreak of the pandemic last year, MARVA has been receiving many inquiries related to the pandemic, including requests for protection orders and assistance in family disputes that have intensified due to the multiple lock-downs and confinement of family members in their homes.