AMMAN — On
Saturday, the Kingdom celebrated the International Day of Older Persons, which
falls on October 1 each year.
اضافة اعلان
“We celebrate this day in honor of a precious
category to our hearts, who gave us many years of their lives to build their
societies, and spent relentless efforts to achieve development at all social,
economic, political and cultural levels,”
Ministry of Social Development spokesperson Ashraf Al-Khreis told
Jordan News.
Khreis said: “The
ministry, being the official authority concerned with the affairs of the
elderly, has devoted all its energy to ensure the provision of the best
services to this category by formulating policies, setting national strategies,
and working on programs and executive plans to ensure a decent life for them.”
He said the
ministry also recognizes and appreciates the efforts of senior citizens in
“building families, and uplifting their country”.
Khreis explained
that the ministry has been “amending its regulations to deal with the elderly,
within a strategic direction to meet their future aspirations, based on an
approach that stipulates providing family care for the elderly and providing
all health, social, and psychological needs, and services and medical aid for
them”.
This vision emerged
from the elderly care regulation 97 for the year 2021, which aims at dedicating
the future aspirations of the ministry in dealing with the elderly, according
to Khreis.
“The ministry
supervises nine eldercare homes, including five homes for the voluntary sector
and four for the private sector, through which institutional care is provided
for the beneficiaries, such as housing, health, psychological, and
social services to enhance their sense of self-worth,” said Khreis.
He noted that
“there are around 397 beneficiaries within the eldercare homes, 204 of whom are
women and 193 are men, while the ministry endures the cost of serving 154
elderly people within service purchase agreements.”
Maher Al-Hussaini,
owner of Dar Al-Amal for the Care of Seniors, told
Jordan News that his
center “hosts 21 seniors, providing various services, including care,
accommodation, dancing, organized youth initiatives, and hair dressing”.
Head of Irbid
Association for the Elderly Hosting Huoseen Lafi told
Jordan News that
his group is a charity and volunteering body which was established in 2006, and
provides services for the elderly, including a day club entailing youth
initiatives, and entertainment trips among other activities.
“The association
only serves the seniors in Irbid, and provides psychological and economic
support for its beneficiaries,” he explained.
One of the
association’s beneficiaries, Amal Al-Batayneh, praised the syndicate. “It
provides excellent services and activities for us, but it needs support and
funding to help a larger segment of Irbid seniors,” she told
Jordan News.
She said that she
benefitted from “the health services and medical check-ups that the association
provides, and enjoyed the lectures given by university professors”.
Commenting on the
International Day of Older Persons, Batayneh had one suggestion: “Everyone
should look at the elderly with love, compassion, mercy, and to help them with
all their needs.”
The UN Principles
for Older Persons include independence, participation, care, self-fulfillment,
and dignity. It stipulates that “older persons should be able to live in
dignity and security, and be free of exploitation and physical or mental
abuse.”
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