The Holistic Aid Center

The Holistic Aid Center was set up in 2007 by the Yuri Stern Foundation and provides thousands of treatment options in supportive medicine for cancer patients and their families, with the help of more than 120 professional therapists offering their services voluntarily.
 
The center is active in the four Oncology departments at Shaare Zedek: Oncology Day Hospitalization, Oncology, Hematology Day Hospitalization and Children’s Day Hospitalization (and it has become an integral part of the efforts to treat and rehabilitate cancer patients at the Medical Center.)
 
Further similar treatments are available at minimal cost at the clinic in Yuri Stern House in Baka, Jerusalem. 
 
Complementary treatments have a significant effect on cancer patients’ quality of life and on the way they cope physically and emotionally with the disease. After treatment, many patients report a respite in the side effects of the chemotherapy and an improvement in their overall health. Other common reactions following treatment: appetites are restored, a new ability to sleep well, sensation in the limbs returns and a reduction in nausea and paresthesia. The treatments offer renewed hope and give the patient an injection of spirit to cope with the next round of chemo, simultaneously improving chances of recovery.
 
There are also treatments designed for members of the supporting framework (family, friends and the medical and nursing teams), which help to lower their stress and indirectly lead to further improvements in the patient.
 
About the Center
The Holistic Aid Center is a registered charity, with all of its activities funded by donations. The center recruits and trains qualified therapists in holistic medicine for supportive therapy work with cancer patients and their families. The aim of the treatments (reflexology, medical massage, Thai massage, Shiatzu, body-soul treatments, etc.) is to support and help patients cope better physically and emotionally with the illness and the attendant medical treatments.
 
The Holistic Aid Center’s activity model is based on a cadre of therapists working pro bono. It is unique in Israel and the world and allows the center to reach thousands of patients every year. Thanks to the Center, cancer patients have the opportunity to receive supportive, equal and accessible treatment.