A new national study finds that aging service providers are missing an essential skill for serving thousands of Holocaust survivors and other older adults with a history of trauma, as the vast majority of organizations lack capacity to use a Person-Centered, Trauma-Informed (PCTI) approach.
 

The study comes days before International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which falls on January 27 -- the same day the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated in 1945.
 

Without a PCTI framework, survivors and other trauma-impacted older adults can be unintentionally re-traumatized while seeking services—particularly as the effects of trauma can intensify with age.
 

“While 67% of organizations serving Holocaust survivors reported having  high capacity to utilize the PCTI approach, only 39% of aging services organizations overall actually demonstrated the same,” said Shelley Rood Wernick, Associate Vice President of the Center on Aging, Trauma, and Holocaust Survivor Care at Jewish Federations of North America (the Center).
 

The 2025 study, conducted by Jewish Federations’ Center for Aging, Trauma, and Holocaust Survivor Care, presents new data on aging services organizations’ readiness to serve trauma-impacted populations. Findings are detailed in the report Compassionate Care in America: Results from the National Study on the Person-Centered, Trauma-Informed Approach.
 

Building on lessons learned from working with Holocaust survivors, PCTI care is a holistic approach that promotes health and well-being by recognizing the lifelong impact of trauma, resisting re-traumatization, and strengthening the agency, dignity, and resilience of individuals receiving care.
 

“Knowledge of how trauma impacts people as they age is crucial,” Wernick said. “If we miss this connection, services are at best underutilized—and at worst, they can re-traumatize the very people we are trying to help.”
 

The study was researched and written by Hayley Bunting-Herzog, Senior Manager, Vanessa Rubenstein, Manager, and Carmel Rabin, Director of Research and Evaluation at the Center.
 

“The findings demonstrate encouraging growth in the adoption of the PCTI approach across the aging services sector,” Rabin said. “At the same time, they underscore the need for further investment to ensure all aging services organizations are equipped to provide trauma-informed care to all aging Americans.”
 

Research cited in the study suggests nearly 90% of American adults have experienced at least one traumatic event in their lifetime. Lessons learned from serving Holocaust survivors can be applied to help all older adults who have experienced trauma.
 

Key findings related to care for Holocaust survivors include: 

• Just over half of surveyed organizations (53%) reported a high or very high understanding of how trauma impacts Holocaust survivors, while 44% reported moderate, low, or no understanding.
• Sixty-seven percent of organizations serving Holocaust survivors reported deep capacity to use the PCTI approach, while 33% did not.
• Seventy-six percent of organizations reported that the PCTI approach was integrated into care for Holocaust survivors, while 26% said it was not.

The study shows that investing in PCTI care capacity delivers results. Center-funded organizations demonstrated significantly higher capacity:

• Ninety-two percent of Center-funded organizations reported using the PCTI approach when serving Holocaust survivors, compared to 67% of non–Center-funded organizations.
• Ninety-one percent of Center-funded organizations reported deep capacity to provide PCTI care to Holocaust Survivors, compared to 55% of non–Center-funded organizations. 

With renewed funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Community Living, the Center is awarding new grants across the country to increase capacity for PCTI services. The investment reflects a shared commitment to advancing person-centered, trauma-informed care for Holocaust survivors, older adults with a history of trauma, and their family caregivers.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day compels us to remember those we lost and to affirm the resilience and lessons learned from Holocaust survivors every day. 

This work is supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $8,389,500 with 75% funded by ACL/HHS and $2,796,500 and 25% funded by non-government source(s). The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACL/HHS, or the United States Government.