Israel Cancer Association - Annual Report 2024

Sir Charles Clore Hostel for Cancer Patients

The Sir Charles Clore Hostel was established by the ICA in Givatayim in 1976, with the generous contribution of the late Sir Charles Clore . The hostel is maintained with the assistance of the Clore Foundation and is operated by the Israel Cancer Association. The hostel admits cancer patients who receive treatment in the oncology units of the largest medical centers located in central Israel. Each morning, the patients are transported to their treatments in the medical centers. They return to the hostel towards mid-day for rest, meals, nursing care and recovery. The hostel nursing staff is available 24/7, providing professional supervision as well as dedicated nursing oncology care, managed by Head Nurse Maya Oslander . The hostel is located in a peaceful neighborhood in Givatayim, adjacent to the ICA Headquarters at Beit Mati and near the Givatayim Mall. The building is

surrounded by a beautifully groomed garden, with a relaxing outdoor spot with fishpond and water plants. Guests can enjoy pleasant, clean and air-conditioned rooms with satellite TV and private bathrooms and showers. The beds and showers are installed with panic buttons for calling the nurses if needed. There is a modest dining room where patients enjoy healthy, delicious meals catered to their nutritional needs. There is also a library containing books in Hebrew, Russian, English and Spanish, and a keyboard for the patients’ use as well as for performances in the culture hall. The treatment period can be challenging for cancer patients emotionally, and they may feel lonely during the treatment and recovery period. The hostel activities in the common spaces, dining room and social lounges help them to ease the hardship. The recreation activities

include arts and crafts, lectures, physical activity and concerts by ICA volunteers. With the ongoing war in the south and north of Israel, patients were forced to leave the medical centers where they were being treated and find alternate solutions. Evacuated patients who arrived at the hostel were allowed to have their partner stay with them. The hostel has a spacious, air-conditioned underground shelter with bathrooms, water, first air gear, and food. The referral to the hostel is coordinated through the oncology units or wards in which the patients are hospitalized, via hospital staff, social worker, nurse, physician and radiation technician. Admission to the hostel is conditional upon receiving a Form 17 exemption for a stay at the hostel with no cost to the patient. An escort may join the patient for a cost, based on availability.

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