UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Abu Dhabi Conference Looks at Role of Elderly in Society

DUBAI, UAE (GulfNews), April 24, 2008: By Eman Mohammed, Abu Dhabi Deputy Editor The Abu Dhabi International Conference on Ageing currently being held at Emirates Palace will look at ways to fully integrate the elderly into society. The conference was opened on Tuesday night by Her Highness Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairperson of the UAE General Women's Union. The conference is being held under the patronage of General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. It is organised by the Family Development Foundation. Shaikha Fatima said ageing has become an important matter and it was important to hold a conference on the aged in the context of other programmes worldwide aimed at them. The number of elderly people is increasing because of, among other reasons, better medical care, she said. Also present at the inauguration of the conference were Shaikh Hamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chief of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court and President of the Higher Committee for the Specialised Economic Zones, and Dr Maitha Salem Al Shamsi, Minister of State, who spoke on behalf of Shaikha Fatima. Growing numbers "Global statistics show the number of elderly people is growing. "The number of elderly people worldwide was 590 million at the end of the 20th century and will reach more than a billion by 2025," Shaikha Fatima said. "The United Arab Emirates under the leadership of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan increased social contributions for elderly people in 2005, and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has a special interest in residences for the aged." She said this was a continuation of the path set by the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, father of the nation. Shaikha Fatima expressed her hope that the conference would succeed, and said she hoped it would produce valuable recommendations about caring for elderly people. "Supporting and encouraging scientific research about the elderly will greatly improve society. Aged people should be cared for and should be an integral part of society, the family and the country," she said. The three-day conference is highlighting traditional Islamic and Arab values in caring for the elderly and look at the best ways to fully integrate them in society. According to statistics the elderly (people over 60), make up five per of the population. Life expectancy in the UAE has risen to 81 years for women and 76 years for men. She hoped the conference would produce valuable recommendations about caring for elderly people. © Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2007