Rights Guide for Individuals Caring for an Elderly Family Member or Person With Disabilities (Right)

Introduction:

This page provides information regarding the rights and services available to family members who are caregivers for other family members.

In many cases the assistance and treatment of the elderly and people with disabilities or illness is provided by family members.

Family members caring for other family members, have the right to respite services as outlined below.

Family members caring for other family members are eligible to receive emotional support as detailed below.

The elderly and people with disabilities or illness (children and adults) who live in the community often require significant assistance, and in most cases it is provided informally, by their family and friends.

• This page summarizes information regarding the rights and services intended to assist and support family members who are caregivers for the elderly, ill (child or adult) or disabled.

Employment

• Employees are entitled to use sick days to care for a child with special needs or an ill spouse, parent or child. For more information, see Sick Days to Care for a Family Member.
• The law prohibits the discrimination against an employee because he/she is the relative of a person with a disability.
• An employee who resigns due to a family member's ill health is entitled to receive severance pay from an employer. For more information see severance pay to the employee who resigned due to ill health or that of a family member.
• An employee who, due to disability or illness of the spouse, is solely responsible for taking care of a child may take Unpaid Leave Following Maternity Leave. Further, the employee is entitled to receive severance pay from an employer in cases of Resignation in Order to Care for a Child (after birth, adoption, surrogacy or accepting foster care).
• The spouse of an new mother who has an established degree of earning capacity of 100%, may be entitled to special compensation if the employee stopped working in order to care for the baby in place of the spouse.

Income Tax

• A parent of a child or adult is defined as "disabled" (נטול יכולת in Hebrew) is entitled to income tax credit points.
• An employee whose spouse is blind, or has disability above 90% and has no independent income is eligible for income tax credit points.
• In the following cases provident fund (kupat gemel) members may be eligible for tax exemption when withdrawing money from the fund:
  • Members who have high medical expenses (other than expenses for dental care), including expenses for a relative. For details, see Tax Exemption When Withdrawing Money From a Provident Fund for Members Who Have High Medical Expenses.
  • Members for whom a family member has an established disability of 75% or more. For details, see Tax Exemption When Withdrawing Money From a Provident Fund for Family Member of Persons With Disabilities.

Withdrawing Funds to Treat a Sick Child

• If a parent has a child in difficult medical situation he is permitted to withdraw funds from the Savings Plan for Each Child before the child turns 18 if the money will be used to fund the medical necessities of the child. For additional information see Withdrawal of money from the Savings Plan for each child plan before the child is 18 because of his medical condition.

Benefits

• Parents of a child with disabilities may be eligible for Disabled Child Benefit and Related Benefits.
• If the family member is an adult requiring supervision or assistance with daily activities, you may be entitled to receive:
  • Special Services Benefit (Attendance Allowance) and Related Benefits for an adult with a medical disability, who has not yet reached Retirement Age.
  • Services or payment from the Long-Term Care Benefit for one who has reached Retirement Age.

Additional Relief

• If the family member needs a full-time caregiver, it may be possible to receive permission to employ a foreign nursing care worker.
• The health plans operate home treatment units - medical, assistive and rehabilitative - for patients who are home-bound. For additional information, see Supportive Home Care (Palliative Care).
• The local authorities give a property tax (Arnona) discount to disabled and elderly residents. For more information on the populations eligible for these discounts see the Property Tax (Arnona) portal.
• In some cases, and in accordance with specific criteria, you may be entitled to a disabled parking permit.
• Services provided through Supportive Communities for People with Disabilities (such as medical services at night) are also provided to family members living with the disabled person between age 21-65 who has an established disability of 40% or is eligible for a Rehabilitation Basket for the Mentally Ill.
• A family member of a mobility benefit recipient Mobility Benefit may be an authorized driver for him (to receive permission to drive the car of the relative with limited mobility).
• There are public places that may not collect entrance fees from the escort of a person with disabilities. The exemption is given based on certification given by the National Insurance Institute to the following populations:

• Disability Certificate Holders with Intellectual Disabilities
• Disability Certificate Holders with Mental Disabilities
• Disability Certificate Holders on the Autistic Spectrum
• Those who receive special services
• Long-Term Care Benefit Recipients

• The escort of a person with intellectual or mental disabilities, or autism, may be entitled to receiving public services without waiting in line.
• A person who cares for a spouse, child or parent requiring constant supervision for most of the hours of the day may be exempt from appearance at the employment office in order to receive income support.

Support, assistance and community services to family caregivers from different population groups

General

• Caregivers Israel Recognition and Support for Caregivers of Family Members
• Yad L'Tomech - Support Center for Family Caregivers
• HEYANUT Center - An interdisciplinary holistic center for people with special needs and their families
• Personal telephone counseling for family members who are caregivers from the organization Caregivers Israel
• Social Worker Assistance in the Healthcare System

Children with special needs

• Respite Program - hospitality for Children with Special Needs
• Lend a Hand to a Special Child
• Kesher Connecting Special Families

The Elderly and Senior Citizens

• Hotline for family caregivers of the elderly from the information center "Reut Eshel"
• Shaked Centers - Municipal support centers for family caregivers of an elderly relative
• Connection in Motion - Exercises for home-bound seniors and their family members
• Purple Unit - center for accessing rights for senior citizens in hospitals (including the rights of the relatives that care for them)
• Counseling services for the elderly from the National Insurance Institute (counseling for the elderly and their relatives)
• Services in the Community for Senior Citizens
• Support and Treatment From Social Workers for Senior Citizens
• Personal Caregivers for Senior Citizens
• Material Assistance for Senior Citizens
• Family members who are caregivers' forum on the site, Reut - Caregiving Family
• Support groups for Maccabi members who are caregivers for elderly relatives with chronic illness
• Medication Information and Advising Center for Seniors

People with Alzheimer's and dementia diseases

• "Bonds and Skills" - Home visits to Alzheimer's patients from the organization EMDA
• Personal guidance and care to family caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's and dementia from the organization EMDA
• Support group for family members of people with Alzheimer's and dementia from the organization EMDA
• Tzipporah Fried Alzheimer Support Center for patients and their families
• Support groups for Maccabi members who are family caregivers

People with Mental Illness

• Counseling and support for families of persons with mental illness
• Counseling for families of persons with mental illness from Ezer Mizion

People With Intellectual Disability

• Personal aid for children with intellectual disability who live with their parents
• Personal caregiver for children or adults with intellectual disability who live with their parents
• Respite destinations for children or adults with intellectual disability who live with their parents
• Rehab assistant for adults with intellectual disability who live with their parents

People With Autism

• Community Services for Children
• Community Services for adults who live with their parents

Please Note

• Patients are entitled to have another person present during medical examinations and/or treatment:
  • Presence of a Family Member or Other Person During Medical Examinations
  • Presence of Another Person during Medical Treatment
• Income tax relief is also provided to employees who pay for a parent, spouse or child to stay in an institution or accommodation outside of the home:
  • Income Tax Credit for a Parent or Spouse Living in an Institution
  • Income Tax Credit for a Child in Housing Outside the Home
• If a public housing resident moves to institutional living, a family member who lived with him/her for at least 3 years in the public housing may be eligible to purchase the apartment as a "continuing resident".

Aid Organizations

• Listing of aid organizations for patients and their families
• Listing of aid organizations for people with disabilities and their families
• List of aid organizations for the elderly and their families

Government Agencies

• Commission for Equal Rights of People with Disabilities
• The Finance Ministry
• The Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Social Services
• The Ministry of Health
• The National Insurance Institute
• *8840 The Center for Public Inquiries of the Office of Social Equality

Laws and Regulations

• The Sick Pay Law
• The Severance Pay Law
• The Income Support Law
• The National Insurance Law
• The Income Tax Ordinance

Additional Publications

• Patient Information on the REUTH Family Care website.
• Eat and Live in Dignity - Guide to Family Caregivers of People With Dementia from the Ministry of Health
• Recommendations for one supporting an adult who needs care informational brochure from Clalit Health Services
• Examining the Care Family Members for the Elderly: Characteristics of the Care, Strain and Help and Support Programs A report by the Center for Research on Aging, Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute assisted, with assistance from Eshel - The Association for Planning and Development of Services for the Aged, The Center for Research on Aging
• Simulation for the cost of employing a foreign nursing care worker from the Internet hotline to assist employees of foreign nursing care workers.

Credits

• Original information for this page was written with the assistance of he:Caregivers Israel.
• English translation and maintenance by The Shira Pransky Project.