With more than 6,000 Holocaust survivors, Chicago is home to one of the largest and most diverse groups of survivors in the world.
While they, like other seniors, encounter new and increasing obstacles as they age, many also face unique challenges stemming from their past deprivation and suffering. A significant number lack the financial or family resources to meet these needs.
Today, one in three local Holocaust survivors lives in poverty.
To effectively address those needs, Holocaust Community Services -- which will receive
100 percent of the proceeds from the Chicago performance of "Defiant Requiem"
-- was founded by JUF/Jewish Federation in 1999. Administered by CJE SeniorLife, in partnership with Jewish Child & Family Services and HIAS Chicago, HCS has partnered with additional Federation-funded agencies, including EZRA Multi- Service Center, Maot Chitim and The ARK, as demand for services has skyrocketed.
While the size of Chicago's survivor population is declining as elders pass on, the needs of those who remain grow as they age. HCS is serving more than twice as many survivors as it did just five years ago.
Cuts in Medicare and Medicaid have further burdened survivors' ability to access health and dental care, while rising medical expenses hinder their ability to pay for other necessities. Decreased state funding for senior services exacerbates their plight.
Many face cruel choices, skipping meals in favor of purchasing medication, or skipping medication to pay a utility bill.
HCS Emergency Financial Assistance grants help with critical, one-time costs, from fixing a leaky roof to covering funeral costs for a loved one.
To ensure that survivors don't lose the ability to eat -- tantamount to another form of starvation -- HCS makes dental care a priority. And Chicago's HCS also has one of the largest food assistance programs for Holocaust survivors in the country. With sufficient resources, though, HCS could increase that program by at least 50%.
Survivors are twice as likely as other seniors to be in poor health and need help with personal care and daily tasks. By helping to provide tens of thousands of hours of in-home care to assist with daily tasks, from dressing and bathing to light housekeeping and laundry, HCS enables local survivors to live independently in their homes.
Such in-home care is significantly more cost-effective than a nursing home -- and preserves equilibrium for those whose trauma would be compounded by institutionalization.
Survivors' past trauma can create unique challenges as they age. Painful memories can resurface with a vengeance, and post-traumatic stress disorder can masquerade as dementia or exacerbate existing cognitive issues.
HCS helps families, caregivers and professionals understand potential triggers for post-traumatic stress and how to defuse them. Special training helps loved ones and caregivers cope with behaviors that might be new and frightening, from hoarding food to refusing to take a shower.
Two in three Holocaust survivors live alone. HCS creates a sense of extended family through regular socialization opportunities, holiday and birthday celebrations; outings to concerts, dance performances and plays; and special Holocaust memorial programs and commemorations.
There also are weekly support groups, in both English and Russian, where clients can discuss current events in a sensitive environment, surrounded by people with shared experiences and perspectives, hopes and fears.
HCS offers computer literacy training to help survivors feel less isolated, enabling them to Skype and email far-flung family members. A new volunteer program will pair community members with survivors for social interaction, training volunteers to make wellness calls and home visits. In the coming months, HCS also will add in-home mental and physical health programming.
In the next few years, more and more survivors will need assistance. HCS must grow its resources today to ensure that Chicago's Holocaust survivors can live in comfort and dignity tomorrow.
