الشارقة 24:
Under the theme of “Dignified Living and Sustainable Giving,” the 15th edition of the Senior Citizens Services Forum concluded in Sharjah. Organised by the Sharjah Social Services Department, the event gathered officials, experts, and specialists from the UAE and various countries. The sessions highlighted experiences and practices aimed at enhancing services for the elderly, supporting their independence and community participation, and fostering family and caregiver support while promoting intergenerational communication.
Recommendations Centred on Elderly Care Development
Mariam bin Saeed Al-Muhairi, Director of Research and Studies Office and Chair of the Scientific Committee at the forum, affirmed that the forum’s outcomes provide practical pathways for developing services and initiatives tailored for the elderly. These include enhancing the integration of health and social care, supporting families and caregivers, and involving senior citizens in the design and evaluation of services.
She also noted that the forum focused on strengthening intergenerational communication and benefiting from the experiences of senior citizens by documenting their societal memories. Al-Muhairi emphasised the importance of transforming these outcomes into actionable and measurable programmes, while adapting global and regional best practices to meet local community needs.
Framework for Comprehensive Senior Services
The forum yielded several recommendations aimed at developing a comprehensive health and social care system for the elderly. These included supporting families and caregivers and preparing spaces and activities that enhance the participation and safety of seniors. Additionally, the recommendations called for strengthening partnerships between government entities and civil society institutions and sharing expertise.
Specific suggestions included engaging senior citizens in the design and evaluation of services, expanding opportunities for their community participation through volunteering, councils, clubs, and mentoring, and developing programmes that connect them with youth in educational and volunteer activities to foster intergenerational communication and experience exchange.
Moreover, the recommendations advocated for documenting the communal memory and life and professional experiences of the elderly and utilising this content in educational and cultural material. They also encouraged leveraging global and regional practices, adapting them to meet local community needs, and measuring their effectiveness before broader implementation.
Emphasising the need to incorporate the requirements of senior citizens into urban planning and local development strategies, the recommendations urged the development of services that enhance their independence. This includes optimising homes and facilities, facilitating transportation, preventing falls, and linking healthcare with social support and rehabilitation. Furthermore, assessing the impact of services on seniors’ independence, participation, and familial relationships was highlighted.
Ideas to Enhance Volunteering and Intergenerational Engagement
A brainstorming session titled “The Future of Volunteering” unveiled four creative ideas, including “Intergenerational Bridge” to connect volunteers based on their interests and hobbies, “Digital Heritage” to preserve the stories, photographs, documents, and experiences of senior citizens and transform them into digital content, “Sixty Between Generations” for skill and knowledge exchange during a one-hour gathering of two generations, and “Generational Hackathon,” which brings together youth and seniors in joint teams to develop solutions and ideas benefiting both parties.