HILI — Health and Independence in Later Life
HILI is a Land & Sky initiative to preserve the health and functional independence of older adults. It runs on two tracks: a professional review, together with health-economics and health-policy researchers, of incentives for health funds to keep their members independent; and direct community activities for older adults and their families — age-adapted dance classes, social meetings, walks, conversation and group support meetings.
The community track
Growing older should not make a person's world smaller. Yet when friends move away, mobility becomes harder or cultural activities become too expensive, even an active older adult can gradually stop going out. A missed concert becomes a missed conversation; a quiet week can become a habit of isolation.
The community track of HILI is a 12-month programme for 60 older adults anywhere in Israel. It is designed especially for people who live alone, new immigrants and those for whom cost, transport or language has become a barrier to an active social and cultural life.
How the programme will work
- Two welcoming gatherings each month. Music, conversation, creative workshops, guest artists and shared celebrations in a small-group setting where people can truly get to know one another.
- One cultural outing each month. Concerts, theatre, museums, cinema and guided visits, with subsidised tickets and accessible transport where needed.
- A volunteer companion network. A familiar person will call before an event, help plan the route, meet a participant on the way and make sure no one has to arrive alone.
- Participation, not passive care. Members will help choose the cultural calendar and will be invited to share their own knowledge, stories and talents.
What the pilot is designed to achieve
The first year will provide 24 community gatherings and 12 cultural outings for 60 older adults. We will track attendance, repeat participation, new social contacts and participants' own sense of belonging. The goal is simple and meaningful: more reasons to leave home, more people to call and more moments worth looking forward to.
The working annual budget for the community track is ₪144,000, and the board has not yet approved it. Donations would fund subsidised cultural tickets, accessible group transport, venue and activity costs, programme coordination, volunteer training, multilingual communication and participation scholarships for people with limited means.
This is a new pilot. Activities will begin after local partners, the programme team and sufficient funding have been confirmed. Your donation helps turn an empty evening into a concert, a conversation and the beginning of a new friendship.
Where the donations go
Donations serve two purposes. First, the preparatory stage and feasibility study of the initiative: expert consultations, methodological work, conversations with caregiving families, choice of indicators and pilot design. Second, the community activities: instructors and facilitators, halls, transport and subsidised participation fees for those who need them.
Every expense from donations follows a budget approved by the association's board. Donations are accounted for separately and are not used to cover deficits or repay loans. If the board decides not to continue the policy initiative, the remaining donations will go to the community activities for older adults and their families, within the association's goals.