The Atel family home in Jerusalem has long since become an impromptu day center.
Many physiotherapy devices fill the family's apartment in the Gila neighborhood.
The son, Oz, was injured in a serious car accident in 2012, and has been suffering from a head injury ever since.
The accident, which happened near his home a few months before his bar mitzvah, changed his life from one end to the other.
Since then, Oz has been hospitalized for a long time at Eli'an Hospital, which specializes in the rehabilitation of children and youth.
Now, as an adult, there is no suitable setting for him in Jerusalem, the most populated city in Israel.
"He needs physical therapy."
Oz Atel and his mother Yael,
Yael, the loving and devoted mother of 23-year-old Oz, constantly struggles to find a suitable frame for her son.
About a year ago she had to quit her job to focus on his care.
"All these years I fought to get Oz proper treatment and improve his condition," Yael tells "Israel Today" in a touching conversation.
Safe steps
"A head injury is a slow process," she says, "Oz progresses all the time. The brain is damaged, his left side is weak. His left hand doesn't work at all, and his right hand shakes a lot. His handwriting is illegible, and his balance is also damaged."
Oz needs care and supervision, and as a result of his condition he fell many times.
As a result of one of the falls, he was injured in his left eye.
"You have to be by his side all the time," Yael looks at her son with excited eyes and hugs him.
"Our difficulty is in finding a framework for him. Oz is 23 years old, and since he was 18 I have been looking for a suitable framework for him. He was in a framework that did not suit him from the age of 19 to 22, and he did not progress in those years. I am a social worker, and I worked for 22 years at the Jewish Agency. Before I stopped working for a year. This year I am with him, and he has progressed with the help of specialized treatment for head injuries."
Can you tell me exactly what your expectations are from such a framework?
"He needs physical therapy, occupational therapy, a speech pathologist and walking supervision. I do this with him at home. It is necessary to open a day center for head injuries in Jerusalem as soon as possible, we are not the only ones."
"Know the need"
In the absence of a day center for him in Jerusalem, Oz makes sure to keep himself busy at home.
"It's important that they understand that we are unique, and that we should be treated as such. I deserve an appropriate framework. My hope and expectation is to keep moving forward," Oz shares openly.
"When a day center is established, I hope it will benefit me socially as well. I ask that they not ignore me."
Oz Atal, photo: Oren Ben Hakon
The Ministry of Welfare and Social Security responded to Israel Hayom's request: "The Ministry of Welfare and Social Security recognizes the need for the existence of a day center, which will provide an appropriate response to head injuries in the Jerusalem area and the surrounding area. These days the ministry is promoting a tender for the operation of such a day center, with the hope that within a few months the appropriate response will be established ".
The Jerusalem Municipality responded: "As of today, and according to the decision of the Ministry of Social Affairs, there is no center for head injuries in Jerusalem. As far as the municipality is aware, the Ministry of Social Affairs is currently working on publishing a tender for the establishment of such a framework, and the municipality undertakes to activate it as soon as possible. The family members' application is being handled by the municipality, and we will act to help with all the tools at our disposal."
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