Israel is a rapidly aging country, and life expectancy in Israel is among the highest in the world and stands at 83.5 years for women and 79.7 years for men, and it is expected to continue to rise over the years.

The age increase is accompanied by an increase in the rate of elders with impaired functioning and in need of help by others due to physical disability, decline in cognitive ability (mentally frail) or both.

The percentage of disabled people rises sharply with increasing age. This situation requires complex preparation in order to address the ever growing needs of the elderly and enable them to live with dignity.           

The existing policy in all Western countries is to allow the elderly to age in their community and in their homes as long as possible by relying on the family as a main source of support.   

What happens when the issue of treatment is of a long-term?

What happens when the elderly person’s condition changes?

Such situations exist more and more within the walls of the hospital, a new dilemma is created to the elderly and their families, they need to deal with the new situation, there is a need for a family, environmental and institutional reorganization. Although most seniors prefer to stay at home in their beloved place, natural environment, most of them go to nursing homes or to different environments and leave home. Geriatric institutions are scattered in major cities around the country, with different cognitive and physical functioning status, government institutes, private geriatric institutes, independent geriatric institutes, nursing geriatric institutes.     

Following the period of the Corona plague, the issue of geriatric hospitalization made headlines and with it other dilemmas surrounding the family and the elderly. According to a report by “MAGEN AVOT VEIMAHOT” (an organization responsible for corona morbidity in Israel’s geriatric institutes) 20% of the corona patients are aged 65 and over, yet nursing homes have become a very popular place in our world and due to the popularity of different frames outside the house of the elderly.

This study will attempt to delve into the depth of a decision on geriatric hospitalization especially in this period that will continue for a long time, the study will address the dilemmas underlying this decision, the factors in adjusting the preference of the elderly and family in choosing a geriatric institution.