Deputy Minister (Likud) for Senior Citizens Dr. Lea Nass was on hand to praise the new initiative in Betar, a program intended to provide major discounts for services aimed at the city’s senior citizen community. The new government reform is aimed at permitting local municipalities to address the needs of the growing senior citizen population, and as local officials pointed out, in this case, the benefits will improve the lives of many of Betar’s founding families.

Mayor Rav Meir Rubinstein told the audience that today, the city runs many programs for this population, and as such, City Hall reached out to the Ministry for Senior Citizens seeking assistance. The mayor spoke of the city’s master plan to address the needs and quality of life issues of the senior citizens, including the desire to provide psycho-geriatric services in the city, for a staff that will formulate and run programs for seniors, and to offer courses in computers, nutrition, exercise and more for the senior population.

The mayor praised Rav Aaron Ables, who holds the city’s cultural portfolio and Rav Yaakov Turenheim, who operates that department along with others involved.

In a working meeting of city officials and representatives of the ministry, they spoke of a master plan that projects 15 years ahead towards bringing the necessary professionals into the picture and developing a system that will meet the needs of the city’s seniors and geriatric population as well as providing quality of life well above the minimum standard required.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)