Giving Back: Mother of Hesed Client Volunteers to be a hairdresser for Elderly

Providing this service to more than 20 clients each month has represented an important change in Talya’s life. Though she had received formal education in engineering, her career was abruptly halted when she gave birth to a baby girl with infantile cerebral paralysis. Talya spent the next 12 years dedicated to her daughter’s development, sending her to a special school and providing whatever support she could. She was, simultaneously, caring for her own parents as well. Determined to find some diversion, during her daughter’s adolescence Talya attended a hairdressing course at a local school, practicing her trade on relatives and neighbors in order to garner work experience.

A few years ago, at the suggestion of a Hesed social worker who paid regular visits to Talya’s daughter at their home, Talya confessed that consistently focusing on her child and sickly parents was becoming taxing. The social worker suggested that Talya utilize her talent to beautify the lives of lonely, homebound individuals who were unable to reach a barber shop due to serious disease or old age. Hesed arranged an internship for her at a local salon, and Talya has since become one of the most active volunteers through the Moked program. "My daughter attends the Chai Family Program and receives medication and clothing; my parents are Hesed clients. I am totally grateful for support which really simplifies our lives," explains Talya, whose husband’s income is the sole support for the entire family. "And I am happy that we not only accept help from JDC, but that I can also be useful for somebody."

The hairdressing service provided through JDC-sponsored Hesed social welfare centers is more than just useful; it is among the clients’ most cherished activities. "I wait eagerly for the next time that Talya will come to fix my hair," says one elderly woman, smiling as she touches her freshly-styled snow white locks. She has not left her home in over a year, and counts the days on a calendar until the volunteer hairdresser pays her a visit. "I like to feel clean and look nice. But mostly I like to speak with Talya and share our thoughts."

For tens of thousands of Hesed beneficiaries throughout the FSU, the hairdressing service — provided both at the welfare centers and in alternate locations — helps to support good personal hygiene and positively impact the pride that the aged take in their physical appearance, thereby increasing their self-esteem. Lidiya, a homebound client in Smolensk, expressed the view of many elderly recipients. "For people of any age it is very important to look good. A positive appearance raises the spirits and improves health. This program supports in old people the aspiration to look after themselves, and be communicative and happy."

For others, a simple haircut it is enough to remind them that they have not been forgotten. When Vasya fell ill a few years ago and could not leave his home, Ayn, a volunteer hairdresser from the local Hesed in Samara, visited him at his apartment to cut his hair and shave him. "This made me feel like a person again," offered Vasya. "I learned from her about Hesed activities and began to visit the center, use the library and participate in different programs — music parlors, Jewish holidays and Shabbat celebrations." Benefiting from others’ community service also inspired Vasya himself to volunteer. An ENT doctor, the elderly gentleman now arranges to meet with Hesed clients twice a month. "I feel that I am needed. This is the best thing."