Congress Urged to Help Keep Holocaust Survivors Out of LTC Facilities

A group of experts has urged Congress to make an effort to keep Holocaust survivors out of institutional long-term care facilities because they can trigger post-traumatic stress disorder for the survivors.

Instead, the Holocaust Survivors Foundation USA and The Generation After Inc. urged Congress to help survivors receive home care so that they could live out their lives in the comfort of their own homes.

According to the experts who presented to the Senate Special Committee on Aging, being confined and receiving instruction or orders from uniformed personnel can trigger highly disturbing memories or PTSD in survivors. Routine events such as visiting the shower room or being asked to fill out paperwork can also be triggers. These effects are often worse for residents with dementia, they added.

However, providing home care for the survivors has its own set of challenges since these individuals tend to have more complex medical needs than average seniors.

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