The Elderly in Israel – The 2003 Statistical Abstract

How many elderly people live in Dimona? How many people age 65 and over still participate in the labor force, and how many of them are eligible for a pension?  How many elderly people reside in institutions, and what typifies them? How many elderly people have a computer in their home, and how many of them are living below the poverty line? You’ll find the answers to these and many other questions in the 2003 Statistical Abstract, which contains information relevant to Israel’s elderly population.

This is the sixth year of the Abstract’s publication. Since it first was published in 1998, the Abstract has become a key, highly valued tool for planners and policymakers, statisticians, researchers, and students.

Like its predecessors, the 2003 Statistical Abstract presents data on the characteristics of the elderly population, with attention to demographic and geographic stratification; on health characteristics such as mortality, morbidity, the incidence of illness and disability, and use of selected health services; on socio-economic factors such as education, employment, and financial status; on the system of community and institutional services for the elderly; and on the elderly population in light of an international comparison.  In this Abstract we have updated the ongoing data, added data on health, and expanded the data on the system of services.  This year, as well, we have emphasized data on the financial situation of the elderly, including Tables presenting the income and expenditures of households with an elderly resident, and historic data on the number of elderly eligible for a pension.  Data have been added from a national study conducted by the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute of the effect of financial hardship on selected aspects of the lives of the elderly.  In addition, this year’s Abstract presents the preliminary Tables from a social survey conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics.

In presenting the data, an attempt has been made to identify trends and changes over time and, to the extent possible, to identify differences and gaps among population groups and among geographic regions. The data provide an essential knowledge base for planning, as well as for a discussion of needs and solutions, and the gaps among these population groups.

Publication of the Statistical Abstract was made possible thanks to close cooperation with the Central Bureau of Statistics and the ministries and organizations that serve the elderly.  We hope to continue to update, expand and develop the Abstract and publish it annually, so that it may continue to serve policymakers and service planners, as well as those studying and conducting research.  We also hope it will help improve the level of services for the elderly, thereby improving their quality of life.

The 2003 Statistical Abstract is published by MASHAV – a national data base for planning in gerontology, which is managed jointly by the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute and ESHEL – The Association for the Planning and Development of Services for the Aged.

Citations in the professional and academic literature

Koren, C., & Lowenstein, A. (2008). Late-life widowhood and meaning in life. Ageing International32(2), 140.

Iecovich, E., Lankri, M., & Drori, D. (2005). Elder abuse and neglect–a pilot incidence study in Israel. Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect16(3), 45-63.

Raveh, D., Gratch, L., Yinnon, A. M., & Sonnenblick, M. (2005). Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients admitted to medical departments. Journal of evaluation in clinical practice11(1), 33-44.

Koren, C., & Eisikovits, Z. (2011). Life beyond the planned script: accounts and secrecy of older persons living in second couplehood in old age in a society in transition. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships28(1), 44-63.

Peleg, R., Press, Y., Asher, M., Pugachev, T., Glicensztain, H., Lederman, M., & Biderman, A. (2008). An intervention program to reduce the number of hospitalizations of elderly patients in a primary care clinic. BMC health services research8(1), 36.

Segel-Karpas, D. (2015). Number of illnesses, self-perceived health, and depressive symptoms: the moderating role of employment in older adulthood and old age. Work, Aging and Retirement1(4), 382-392.

Billig, M. (2004). Supportive communities, an optimum arrangement for the older population. J. Soc. & Soc. Welfare31, 131.

Eilat-Tsanani, S., Tabenkin, H., Kaufman, B., Lavie, I., Weiss, Z., & Apelbaum, R. (2012). Rehabilitation of elderly patients in the community following surgery for hip fracture–utilization of personal and health care services. Disability and rehabilitation34(10), 811-816.

Doron, I. (2007). Heaven or hell? Aging behind bars in Israel. Hallym International Journal of Aging9(2), 145-159.

Iecovich, E., & Biderman, A. Y. A. (2013). Quality of life among disabled older adults without cognitive impairment and its relation to attendance in day care centres. Ageing & Society33(4), 627-643.

Moran, M. R., Werner, P., Doron, I., HaGani, N., Benvenisti, Y., King, A. C., … & Ergon, S. (2017). Exploring the Objective and Perceived Environmental Attributes of Older Adults’ Neighborhood Walking Routes: A Mixed Methods Analysis. Journal of aging and physical activity25(3), 420-431.

Lowenstein, A., & Katz, R. (2015). Intergenerational family relations in the multicultural society of Israel.

Brodsky, J., & Litwin, H. (2005). Immigration, appartenance ethnique et schémas de soins des personnes âgées en Israël. Retraite et société, (1), 175-201.

Ayalon, L. (2018). Family relations and elder care among Arabs in the North of Israel. Research on aging40(9), 839-858.

Litwin, H., Schwartz, E., & Avital, D. (2017). Religiosity and well-being among older Jewish Israelis: Findings from SHARE. Journal of religion, spirituality & aging29(2-3), 208-223.

Brodsky, J., & Litwin, H. (2005). Immigration, ethnicity and patterns of care among older persons in Israel. Retraite et Société44, 177-203.

Yan, E., & Fang, G. (2017). Elder abuse and neglect in Asia. In Elder Abuse (pp. 477-494). Springer, Cham.

Berner, Y. N. (2004). Healthy aging: the elderly’s achievement.

Ayalon, L. (2018). Between older adults’ needs and the law: The Israeli Long Term Care Insurance Law from the Perspectives of Service Users and Providers. Health & social care in the community26(4), e514-e522.

Brodsky, J. Healthy Aging Around the World: Israel Too?.