▪ Former Soviet Union ▪

Edward D. & Anna Mitchell Family Foundation
Day Center for the Elderly

The Chamah Day Center for the Elderly has become one of the most effective Jewish social facilities in Moscow, bringing hope and dignity to the elderly who deserve to be experiencing the joy of living in their "golden years."

The Edward D. and Anna Mitchell Family Foundation Day Center for the Elderly, established by Chamah is a lifeline for the elderly, the infirm and the lonely. When seniors step across the threshold of the Day Center, they enter a "home away from home".  It has been built on beautifully landscaped grounds containing park benches and scenic pathways.  The facility provides a physical rehabilitation center for those who have suffered heart attacks, strokes, and other serious illnesses. It serves as a haven of social support for hundreds of seniors who benefit from the services the center provides. 

Medical Assistance

The Center is wheelchair accessible for the elderly disabled. Medical services including first aid, physical therapy sessions, and consultations with doctors and nurses are available. A geriatric doctor is on the premises daily as well as a psychologist. Hundreds of elderly receive medications free of charge. 

Soup Kitchen

One of the major projects of the Center is the Soup Kitchen, where each year over 500,000 hot nutritious well-balanced meals are provided for the elderly and needy, most of whom are low-income pensioners, disabled veterans and disabled. The state of the art kitchen is meticulously clean and well organized. Hundreds of men and women sit down to a delicious, hot five course meal daily in our beautifully designed dining hall. For many people this nutritious lunch is their only meal of the day.

Recreational Activities

Among the many activities scheduled throughout the day and week are arts and crafts, chess clubs, English language classes and Hebrew lessons. The walls of the Center are adorned with the artwork that the seniors themselves have created. In addition, a special music room is a favorite gathering place where seniors play the piano, sing and even dance as they forget their age and their infirmities. Day trips to the theater and Jewish sites around Moscow are scheduled intermittently.

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The Center also offers beautician services - hairdressing, manicures, etc. - to give the elderly proper grooming and improve their self image. A schedule of classes and special events for the seniors on Jewish heritage and tradition are provided. Jewish holidays are celebrated in advance with festive parties. The Center boasts a substantial library with thousands of books, periodicals, tapes and reference material. A number of rare volumes have been presented to the library by the seniors themselves.

Golden Visits

Chamah outreach workers organize visits by groups of children and youth to the Center on a volunteer basis to spend time with the seniors, read to them and listen as they relate stories of their lives. This valuable program called “Golden Visits” creates a stronger link and greater understanding between the generations. It has received high accolades from social workers and psychiatrists.

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