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Life expectancy in UAE on the rise

“Life expectancy among nationals has increased to about 75, a figure that exceeds the average age in some developed countries,” Mr Al Attas, Director of the Abu Dhabi Rehabilitation Centre for Disabled (ADRCD), yesterday told Khaleej Times on the sidelines of a special ceremony organised by the Zayed Higher Foundation for Humanitarian Welfare (ZFHW) in cooperation with ADRCD to mark World Geriatric Day (WGD).

Many local organisations and departments, including the UAE General Women’s Union and the UAE Red Crescent, participated in the celebrations.

The achievement has been attributed to the visionary leadership of the President, His Highness Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, said Mr Al Attas.

He said that according to a recent survey, 99.5 per cent of the elderly in the UAE are looked after by their families and 0.5 per cent at rehabilitation centres in the country.

He said the ADRCD shelters 44 elderly inmates who are provided with health, social and psychological services.

The centre also supervises more than 100 geriatrics at their homes and provides them with the necessary medical and psychological services.

Mohammed Fadil Al Hamli, ZFHW’s Deputy Chairman disclosed that as per the law issued by Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, all rehabilitation centres in the capital will come under the umbrella of the ZFHW.

“The move aims at providing this category with quality services in the fields of education and health and encouraging them to join the process of national development,” said Mr Hamli.

• UAE