Nazi Victim Services Program

Selfhelp was founded in 1936 to help waves of émigrés fleeing from Nazi persecution find new lives in America. As this population reaches their 80s and 90s, we remain in their lives, enabling them to retain their well-earned independence and quality of life.

From addressing health and safety issues to providing social opportunities, our seven Nazi Victim Services program locations offer enhanced case management services with special attention to their unique needs, in particular home care.

Today, Selfhelp proudly cares for more Holocaust survivors than any other organization in North America. Our comprehensive social services include:

• Case Management
• Home Health Care
• Housekeeping / Chore Services
• Guardianship and Financial Management
• Benefits, Entitlements, and Holocaust Claims Assistance
• Social Programs and Holiday Celebrations

With the support of our partners UJA-Federation of New York and the Claims Conference, we impart critical services and offer hope and dignity to our survivor population. Equally important is our unwavering commitment to be "the last surviving relative" to all victims of Nazi persecution.

International Conference for Professionals Working with Holocaust Survivors

March 29th and 30th 2011

Presentations

Plenary Session
Child Holocaust Survivors: Elderly Children Growing Older

Robert Krell Remarks

Workshops:

Assistive Technology and Survivors

Phyllis Wahrmann: Integrating Technology into Clinical Practice to Promote Client Self Care

Gail Gepsman-Ziegler and Lorraine Croft:  Addressing Isolation Through Technology

Creative Therapeutic Techniques

Amy Clements Cortez:  Music to Shatter the Silence

Encounters: Young Germans and Holocaust Survivors

Action Reconciliation Service for Peace

Forgiveness, Resiliency and Survivorship Among Holocaust Survivors

Carmen Morano:  Results of University of Texas 2009 Study: Implications for Practice

Group Work Models

Shoshana Yaakobi:  Group Work with Survivors in a Long Term Care Facility

Innovative Mental Health Programs

Gary Kennedy: Developing In-Home Community Based Mental Health Programs

Innovative Service Models

Hanan Simhon and Scott Code: Virtual Senior Center

Maggie Gad: Witness Theatre

Mental Health Challenges

Alessandra Scalmati: Mental Illness: Special Considerations

Multigenerational and Family Issues

Judi Cohen and Shoshana Yaakobi: Supporting Adult Children of Aging Holocaust Survivors

Survivor Benefits and Compensation

Lydia Griffin: Overview of Survivor Benefits

Valerie Bogart: Restitution and U.S. Entitlements

Jeremy Ruden: Holocaust Restitution in Israel

Approaches to Staff Training

Alessandra Scalmati: Trauma, Aging, and End of Life Issues: The New Triad of Challenges Facing Those who Work with Holocaust Survivors

Batik Woller: Training Hospital Nursing Staff to Attend to the Needs of Holocaust Survivors

Halina Rosenkranz: Understanding the Past: Holocaust Education for Mental Health Professionals to Enhance the Therapeutic Relationship

Difficult Conversations Related to End of Life Care

Metropolitan Jewish Hospice and Palliative Care Program

Elizabeth Packer, Susan Conceicao and Toby Weiss:

Hospice and Palliative Care

Roles for Case Analysis

Program Development and Evaluation

Netta Bentur: Talking about Life, Being Prepared for the Worst: How Spiritual Care is Perceived by Patients and Their Families

Benita Goldin: Best Practices in Implementing Social Services for Holocaust Survivors

Spiritual Care for Holocaust Survivors

Naomi Roth Elbert: Those Who Kept A Secret: Spiritual Care with the Righteous Among the Nations Living in Israel and the Individuals that they Saved

Transcending Trauma

Nancy Isserman: Impact of Family Dynamics on Tolerance and Intolerance in Survivor Families

Lucy Raizman: Parenting in Survivor Families: Critical Factors in Determining Family Patterns

Sherry Perlmutter-Bowen: The Elephant in the Room: Holocaust Survivor Communication with Their Children

Volunteer Services Programs

Susan Alexman and Elinor Marks-Gordon: Dorot: Intergenerational Program of Cafe Europa and UCLA Hillel

Naomi Singer and Sima Kelner: Living History: Intergenerational Volunteer Programs