"You shall rise before the aged and defer to the elderly"
(Leviticus 19, 32)
"Wisdom is with the aged and understanding in length of days"
(Job 12, 12)
Background
In the State of Israel, as in the rest of the world, changes are taking place in the demographic reality. The sector of the population that has increased relatively the most is the community of older persons. According to the data of the Central Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2019 the community of 65 year-olds and older in Israel numbered 1.093 million - 606,000 women and 487,000 men. Some 40% of this community are aged over 75. At the time the state was established, older persons comprised 4% of the population, in 2019 - about 12%, and in 2040 they are expected to constitute some 14% (about 2 million). Life expectancy in Israel is on a continual upward trend, rising since the year 2000 by 2.9 years in men and 3.2 years in women. This phenomenon poses financial, social and legal challenges for Israeli society and its government authorities.
While it is customary to treat older persons as a single unit, this community is not homogeneous at all. The period of ageing covers a broad spectrum of ages, and every age group faces its own challenges - from a phenomenon of ageism in employment during the early ageing period to a deterioration in health and significant loss of independence in the later ageing period.
The increase in the percentage of older persons in the population obligates the public bodies who are charged with caring for this community to make the necessary arrangements. The Supreme Court has insisted on this, pointing out that "a broad stratum of society, unknown in the past, has been generated; its needs in the different areas of life must be taken into consideration by society. In addition, the means and tools at the law's disposal must be adapted in order to guarantee the provision of appropriate protection for older persons". Indeed, in Israel there is an extensive system of laws and regulations designed to protect older persons. Laws such as Defence of Protected Persons Law, 5726-1966, Prevention of Family Violence Law, 5751-1991, and Section 368 of Penal Law, 5737-1977 protect older persons by means of criminal punishment and social intervention; arrangements for providing Continuous Powers of Attorney and the appointment of Decision Supporters enable older persons to make arrangements for the time when their capabilities deteriorate; and Senior Citizens Law, 5750-1989 provides older persons with financial benefits in different fields, such as in public transport, entrance to cultural events and the purchase of medicine, as well as a discount in municipal taxes.
Government ministries and public bodies are responsible for the public services provided for the population of older persons, including the Ministry for Social Equality, the Ministry of Labour, Social affairs and Social Services, local authorities via the social services departments, the Ministry of Health, health fund clinics and the National Insurance Institute (NII).
In 1991, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a resolution pertaining to the UN's principles for older persons. This resolution laid down the obligation to ensure the independence of older persons and suitable living conditions for them, to enable them to lead a social life, to provide them with appropriate care, to give them tools for personal fulfillment and for the protection of their dignity. At the UN World Assembly on Ageing that took place in Madrid in 2002, with the participation of all the organization's member states, including Israel, the states undertook to address the challenges posed by the ageing of the population in the 21st century and to take action in the following three fields: older persons and development, advancing the health and welfare of older persons and ensuring an enabling and supportive environment for older persons.
The duty to care for older persons is thus at the foundation of Israeli society, both by virtue of Israeli law and by virtue of the state's international obligations.
Challenges of the Third Age - is a chapter from Annual Report 47 (2021).