Ageing in the Twenty-First Century: - HelpAge International

In some countries, programmes to support older women
have been established. For example, Jordan has initiated
programmes that seek to empower older women.
The Saudi Arabian Government provides financial help
for older widowed and divorced women as well as free
health care in public hospitals. In Bahrain, these groups
of women are offered financial help and those who need
care are admitted to nursing homes or given appropriate
home care within the social welfare scheme.
In Lebanon, the 2011 Social Pact Project of the Ministry
of Social Affairs highlights the importance of giving
priority to vulnerable population groups, including
older women, in the formulation of development plans
and programmes.
Several Arab countries are working to establish a solid
dataset on the conditions of older people, disaggregated
by sex, in order to identify the specific needs of older
women and propose strategies to improve their
situation, in the light of the increasing importance and
the pressure to develop policy responses to the demographic
transition in the region.
Economic and Social Commission for
Western Asia recommendations
The demographic “window of opportunity” carries a
responsibility to various groups in society, particularly
older people. Countries in the region are devising
policies and programmes to respond to this
responsibility, working towards the social well-being
of the population across different age groups.
Specific recommendations to address issues of older
people include:
• Collect and analyse data on older persons disaggregated
by age and sex, area of residence (rural and urban
areas) and socioeconomic level.
• Strengthen coordination between governments,
non-governmental organizations and the private
sector in service delivery for older people.
• Ensure older people’s involvement in decision-making
at all levels, in particular in developing policies
relating to older persons.
• Coordinate across different sectors to integrate ageing
issues into social, health and economic policies,
incorporating a gender perspective.
• Provide support to families to care for older persons,
for example, in the form of subsidies or tax reductions.
• Ensure health insurance for older people, including
preventive and rehabilitative health care.
A grandmother in Lebanon, which is one of eight countries in the
region to have set up national committees on ageing.
• Include geriatric medicine as a major component of
the curriculum in medical schools.
• Improve the housing and living environments of older
persons. Encourage age-friendly and accessible housing
designs and ensure easy access for older people to
public buildings and spaces. Improve transportation
for older persons, for example, by providing special
seats and lower fares.
• Develop employment policies that increase older
people’s participation in the formal system and reduce
the barriers that they may face in the workplace.
• Strengthen the institutional and legal infrastructure
necessary for the implementation of the Madrid Plan
through the establishment of national committees on
ageing and focal points on ageing within ministries.
• Acknowledge the problem of rural ageing and its
social, economic and human rights implications for
the cohesion of Arab society. Expand and adapt health
care, housing and social services to meet the needs of
older persons in rural areas.
Jenny Matthews/Age UK
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