The Community Development Authority in Dubai is developing a policy to protect senior citizens in the Emirate of Dubai, and is expected to be completed soon, and includes mechanisms, plans and decisions to develop programs to protect and integrate senior citizens, and will work to fill a number of gaps identified by the Authority during the past years, These include the lack of mechanisms to reduce the vulnerability of senior citizens to abuse or exploitation, and to ensure that those who are physically or psychologically abused are held accountable.
Mariam Al Hammadi, Director of the Senior Citizens Department, told the Emirates Today that the Authority has anticipated the issuance of the Federal Law on the Protection of Senior Citizens, which is about to be issued, and worked on developing a policy for the protection of senior citizens, which will explain and determine the procedures required to implement the provisions of the law. .
In response to a question about the most important gaps identified by the Commission and worked to resolve through policy, Hammadi addressed three important gaps, such as the lack of mechanisms to explain how to deal with any abuse of senior citizens, and outlines the measures that should be taken to protect them in case of abuse. Physical or psychological, by a family member, or by auxiliary labor.
"The policy will provide for the authorities concerned to intervene and punish those responsible for abuse, in comparison to the current situation, which does not give any authority to act or intervene to protect senior citizens, unless he or one of his first-degree relatives submitted a report to the police."
Al-Hammadi said that the second gap related to the lack of a place for social accommodation, for cases that need to be sheltered, pointing out that there is a current problem facing the concerned authorities because of the existence of a place for health accommodation for the elderly, while there is no place for social accommodation in an appropriate environment until they are transferred to a decent place of residence. . Sometimes, she said, some cases were found on her own for some reason, but in extremely poor living conditions, she made an immediate decision that she should be moved to another suitable location, but faced the problem of a lack of temporary accommodation, pending the creation of a house. New to the case.
Al-Hammadi stressed that the tendency is always to integrate the elderly into their families, even if they are second-degree relatives, but sometimes there is no possibility of merging some cases, because there are no children or relatives, or not being able to be reunited with their family, due to social reasons or Healthy or financial.
Regarding the third gap, Al-Hammadi said that there is a flaw in providing suitable opportunities for community participation and volunteer activities, of which senior citizens should be part, pointing out that there are rarely senior volunteers and there is a need to encourage them to volunteer, in light of the law of volunteering in The emirate of Dubai has the potential to facilitate the integration of senior citizens into volunteerism.
She continued that there are initiatives to volunteer in Dubai, announced through an electronic system of volunteering, which displays activities and initiatives by all parties, and there are bodies requesting people specializing in certain areas, at a time when there are retirees from military, educational, administrative and health, who can volunteer to provide Their services, during various community activities.
Procedures and mechanisms
Mariam Al Hammadi, Director of Senior Citizens Department at Dubai Community Development Authority, said that one of the axes of the policy of protecting senior citizens is to establish procedures and mechanisms that ensure finding ways to source income for senior citizens through a project or job. As long as they are healthy, they have skills and competencies that can benefit the community.
She added that regardless of the care projects to be provided at a certain age, there is a large proportion of senior citizens in good health and stable, which makes them able to work and give, and benefit the community experience.