The Prevention and Safety Authority in Sharjah, in coordination with the Sharjah Education Authority, organized a workshop on “Elderly Security and Safety”, the importance of providing care and care for them, ensuring their stability and happiness, and taking care of them health and psychologically, especially during this period due to the repercussions of the Corona pandemic.
Sarah Al-Dakhtar, a training specialist in the authority, presented the workshop, which was organized "remotely", through social networking sites, that about 7 percent of the elderly, according to scientific studies, are exposed to depression, which confirms the need to take care of their care Pay attention to them, set aside times to listen to them and talk to them, learn about their needs and hear a story and their exploits in life, as well as allocate times for them for walks, and go out according to the current precautionary and preventive measures.
The lecture, during the workshop, which was attended by about 200 families and those interested, indicated the need to ensure that the elderly are kept out of loneliness and isolation, and not to feel depressed, eat meals with them and enjoy their conversation, while leaving adequate distances with them, and harnessing virtual means of communication with relatives and families, In light of the current conditions that the world is exposed to from the new Corona epidemic (Covid-19), and thus using these means to improve their psyche and make them feel happy.
She stated that the UAE, with its wise leadership, has paid great attention to the elderly category, including senior citizens and residents on its soil, by providing them with a decent life, caring for them, providing them with care and care for them continuously, identifying their needs, and providing all types of support to them. She pointed to the presence of several factors, indicating the emergence of mental health problems among the elderly, the most important of which are social isolation, dependence on others, and a feeling of loneliness, which factors negatively affect their mental health.
She added that listening to the memories of the elderly has a good effect on their lives, and makes them feel happy, as it also has a positive impact on the lives of generations as well, from preserving the inheritance and identity and having them.
Al-Dakhter pointed out to the importance of reassuring the elderly with the current developments and providing them with a safe environment from preventive and precautionary measures and ventilating the places in which they reside in order to obtain a renewed healthy atmosphere and avoid wind and dust.
She pointed to the need to provide them with home care by constantly measuring diabetes and stress levels, writing down the measurements, avoiding taking any medications without medical advice, and communicating with doctors if there are any health symptoms, to determine the need to attend the hospital. She stressed the importance of adopting many precautionary practices and measures to preserve the health of the elderly under the current circumstances.