90% of Abu Dhabi seniors repose faith in govt healthcare amid Covid-19

Though Covid-19 has changed their lives, 92 per cent of the elderly in Abu Dhabi have 'full confidence' in the authorities and 89.7 per cent express trust in government healthcare facilities, a survey has shown.

The Department of Community Developmeny (DCD) reiterated its commitment to ensuring that seniors are safe, happy and healthy, as the country marked International Day of Older Persons on Thursday.

In the DCD's recent surveys, 98 per cent of the emirate's seniors agreed that the virus have completely changed their lives. And while they are aware that they are among the most vulnerable to severe illness, almost all of them have expressed their confidence in public healthcare, according to the poll, as revealed by Dr Mugheer Al Khaili, chairman of the DCD.

70 per cent of community members have also said they are willing to help the elderly cope with the new normal and teach them how to use the Internet for grocery shopping and other needs, the survey added.

"With the constant global changes and challenges, the wise leadership continues to support and care for the citizen and resident elders as they are the true treasure of this nation," Dr Al Khaili said.

The DCD is now working on a strategy to improve the quality of life of senior citizens, the department chief said.

Dr Bushra Al Mulla, executive director of the Community Development Sector, said that for this quality of life strategy, a technical team has recently held six group sessions with seniors above the age of 60. The team got to learn about their life challenges and more than 100 documents were reviewed with 15 specialised authorities.  As a result, 17 social limitations were identified and shall be addressed.

"The elderly category is an important focus of our priorities, and we are working to study and analyse the current and future social challenges that affect the quality and stability of the family. Through this strategy, current policies and laws will be reviewed and new programmes will be proposed to support and improve the quality of family life," he added.

"Under the specific Senior Citizens Quality of Life strategy, an emphasis will be placed on activating the role of senior citizens in society, which will be implemented through a set of programmes and initiatives."

ismail@khaleejtimes.com