The bulb blinked and suddenly it was dark. Octogenarian, Esther Gross, stood still, holding tight to her walker. Too scared to venture further into the dark room, she returned to the kitchen. The album of pictures would have to wait. Wait? Till when? A simple task to change a light bulb but for Mrs. Gross, climbing to the ceiling was equivalent to climbing to the moon. Her children did not live close by and she did not feel comfortable asking the neighbors for help.
Ezer Mizion’s Food Division had helped her with meals for Holidays. She had called their Medical Referral Division when she needed help in finding a doctor. The Ambulance Division often drove her to doctor appointments. “But I’m sure they don’t change light bulbs,” she thought to herself. Her hand reached for the phone. She pulled it back. Embarrassed but desperate, she made the call. “We certainly do,” said the warm, friendly voice on the phone. “Call us any time you need something fixed in your house.”
For elderly people living at home, household maintenance often poses a daunting challenge. While they strive to maintain their independence, they may be too frail to change a light bulb or repair a minor plumbing leak. Many times, elderly people neglect necessary home repairs, and their homes become dilapidated and run-down.
The Home Repair Patrol, one of many departments of Ezer Mizion’s Golden Age Division, is comprised of hundreds of repairmen - including plumbers, electricians, carpenters, handymen, and others - who offer their services to Ezer Mizion on a volunteer basis. When Ezer Mizion receives a request from an elderly person for a home repair, it dispatches an appropriate repairman to do the job free of charge.
Repairs performed by the Home Repair Patrol range from basic tasks - such as fixing an electrical outlet - to large projects, such as painting an entire house. The Home Repair Patrol also operates a large vehicle containing tools and materials necessary for electrical, plumbing and structural repairs.


Ezer Mizion's Golden Age Division has initiated a new program called Project Homecoming, which assists isolated seniors upon their discharge from the hospital.
In the course of its work with the elderly population, it was noticed that for many elderly people who live alone, the transition from the hospital to the home is overwhelming. These individuals have no one to take care of errands, stock the refrigerator, tidy the house, and provide them with TLC while they convalesce. In addition, experience has shown that these elderly people do not always avail themselves of community resources such as welfare services, government-subsidized caregivers, and meals-on-wheels programs.
In Ezer Mizion’s ‘Project Homecoming’, hospital social workers refer elderly patients to Ezer Mizion, and Ezer Mizion assigns volunteers to assist these patients during the first few weeks after their discharge from the hospital. Ideally, volunteers try to establish a connection with patients while they are still in the hospital, to lay the groundwork for their eventual return home. Often, volunteers accompany patients home from the hospital upon their discharge.
After the patients return home, Ezer Mizion volunteers are in constant contact with them. They run errands for them, do their shopping, help them in their homes, and arrange follow-up treatments and therapy. With the assistance of social workers from Ezer Mizion's Golden Age Division, the volunteers also connect patients with available community services.
In keeping with its motto, Their Challenges…Our Mission, Ezer Mizion strives to fill the needs of so many segments of Israel’s population. The organization was founded in 1979 with 8 volunteers by Chananya Chollack who is the paradigm of one who sees something/ does something. It now has 11,000 volunteers in addition to its highly professional, devoted staff.
For further information: 718 853 8400 www.ezermizion.org