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Migrant workers in eldercare in Israel: social and legal aspects
- Authors:
- IECOVICH Esther, DORON Israel
- Journal article citation:
- European Journal of Social Work, 15(1), 2012, pp.29-44.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
In Israel, since the early 1990s, a growing proportion of the frail older population has employed migrant live-in homecare workers to provide around the clock care. Migrant workers in elder care are becoming a significant factor in enabling frail elderly people to age in place and avoid or delay institutionalisation. On the other hand, migrant caregivers pose serious challenges to existing social and legal institutions in the societies in which they operate. They demand policy responses that in many cases have socio-economic consequences that go beyond the older population they serve. The aim of this article is to describe and analyse the Israeli experience with migrant homecare workers for older persons. It discusses a number of key problems and dilemmas that are involved with employing migrant homecare workers. These problems include: the legal status of the migrant workers; abuse and exploitation both of and by the migrant worker; the rights of migrant workers; and working hours in home-based care. The article concludes by suggesting a number of key roles that should be played by social workers in this context.
Aging in the shadow of the law: the case of elder guardianship in Israel
- Author:
- DORON Israel
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Aging and Social Policy, 16(4), 2004, pp.59-77.
- Publisher:
- Routledge
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Historically, the frail elderly, as well as other vulnerable populations who are unable to care for themselves, have been subject to legal proceedings known as guardianships. Despite changes and reforms, adult guardianship law has survived as a fundamental legal institution aimed at protecting the frail elderly as well as other incompetent adults. However, very little is known on the reality of adult guardianship under Israeli law, and the experience of the adult population under guardianship was never empirically studied in Israel. The empirical void regarding the workings of the Israeli law in this area served as the impetus for this study. The study investigated the issue of adult and elder guardianship in Israel as revealed in Family Law Courts' rulings, while focusing in particular on the profile of the wards, the reasons and motives, the legal procedure, and the outcome of the guardianship process. The study was a quantitative analysis, based on a random sample that included 523 court cases requesting legal guardianship for adults due to impaired legal competence. Rulings on these cases were provided in Family Courts from Haifa, Nazareth, and the Krayot areas in the period of the years 2000-2002. A clear but somber picture emerges from the findings of this study: Every year thousands of elderly individuals are subjected to the plenary legal authority of guardians appointed by law. This severe legal outcome takes place without providing these elderly the right to express their positions, without the provision of legal representation, and without their being seen or heard by the courts. These findings lead to the conclusion that there is urgent need in Israel to carry out extensive reform in the realm of civil legislation on the issue of guardianship for adults and the elderly. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580)