"Community Development in Dubai" hired 14 psychiatrists to follow up on their cases

Poll: Senior citizens need psychological support and "recreation" to overcome the effects of "Corona"

49% of the participants in an opinion poll conducted by "Emirates Today", on the psychological effects experienced by senior citizens due to the "Corona" pandemic, said that senior citizens can overcome the negative effects of "Corona" if they undergo psychological treatment, in addition to recreation and resuming Their attendance and visits to their peers, while it was not possible to obtain a comment from the Community Development Authority in Dubai, on the results of the survey and the current psychological situation of senior citizens.

The newspaper conducted an opinion poll consisting of three general questions for senior citizens and their children, on its account on the social networking platform “Twitter”, with the aim of monitoring some opinions about their experience, in the wake of information and international reports confirming the severity of the negative psychological effects experienced by different age groups, especially seniors. age, due to the circumstances, atmosphere and repercussions of the “Corona” pandemic in all countries of the world.

The number of senior citizens, over the age of 60, who benefited from the services of the Community Development Authority in Dubai, reached 8,324 people, until the end of the second half of this year, according to the authority's statistics.

About 46% of the survey participants answered “no” to the question, “If you are a senior citizen, any of the age group over 60, have you exceeded the negative effects resulting from the (Corona) isolation?”

And about 33% answered “yes”, to the question “Do you think that your father or mother needs psychological treatment to get rid of the effects and stresses of the pandemic.”

On the question, “How can your father or mother recover from the psychological effects of the (Corona) pandemic”, 26% confirmed that this can be done by resuming visits and communicating with friends, compared to 23% who said that they could overcome the crisis if they were able to change the place and go for recreation, while about 49% say they need three ways to get rid of their psychological pain, including psychological treatment, relaxation, re-visiting and meeting friends.

And the Community Development Authority in Dubai had informed “Emirates Today”, in previous statements, that some senior citizens panicked at the beginning of the pandemic, for fear of contracting “Corona” disease, to a point where it was difficult for their family members to deal with them, which necessitated training individuals the family on how to calm them down and pass on information to them in a positive way.

The authority said that some cases were affected by panic and fear of infection with “Corona”, which led to the deterioration of their psychological condition, and that it dealt with the matter from the beginning through specialists, volunteer individuals, and the use of 14 specialized psychiatrists to follow up the cases of senior citizens through virtual channels, and they provided them The moral support required through the “We Communicate and Protect” campaign, which it launched in cooperation and coordination with the Dubai Police, to provide assistance to senior citizens and residents in Dubai.

unipolar depression

A report issued by the World Health Organization stated that depression can cause great suffering in the elderly, and may lead to poor performance in daily life, adding that unipolar depression occurs in 7% of the general elderly, and is responsible for 5.7% of years of life. who live with disability among those over the age of 60.

The report emphasized that there is a lack of both in diagnosing and treating depression in health care settings, and that the symptoms of depression in the elderly are often overlooked and not treated, because they coincide with other problems faced by the elderly.

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