The Family Development Foundation (FDF) has released the Home Safety Guide for Senior Citizens, in partnership with Department of Community Development – Abu Dhabi (DCD), with the aim of ensuring a healthy and secure environment for senior citizens. The guide seeks to raise awareness among families on home safety standards that offer optimal protection for the elderly, further enhancing their well-being.
The guide explains how to adapt home environments to meet the unique needs of senior citizens, with a high priority on reducing domestic accidents and injuries. It is a significant step towards promoting the rights of the elderly and ensuring comfort in their homes.
His Excellency Ali Salem Al Kaabi, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of FDF, said: “Our wise leadership, led by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, provided constant support to senior citizens and residents, which is a source of pride. It reflects an exceptional humanitarian vision that places individuals at the centre of planning and care. They have received complete attention and support through comprehensive programs that ensure a dignified life, promote social inclusion, and acknowledge their accomplishments with gratitude and respect.”
His Excellency stated that FDF consistently follows the directives of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Mother of the Nation, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union, Supreme Chairwoman of the FDF, and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, who emphasises the significance of caring for senior citizens and residents, ensuring their wellbeing, and reinforcing their role in society as a foundation of family and social cohesion. HE further said that under the guidance of Her Highness, FDF is launching and implementing impactful initiatives and projects aimed at improving the quality of life for this segment of society, empowering them, and ensuring their active participation in sustainable development, in line with the UAE’s overall humanitarian vision.
Her Excellency Mariam Mohammed Al Rumaithi, Director General of FDF, highlighted that the country’s priority on senior citizens is not a coincidence, but it is a key aspect of an integrated strategic goal envisioned by the wise leadership and strongly supported by Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Mother of the Nation. Her Highness specially focusses on this group, considering them a significant part of the social fabric. Her Excellency Al Rumaithi further emphasised Her Highness’s continued commitment to offer consistent comfort and support for senior citizens through a range of programmes and initiatives that ensure a dignified, stable, and fulfilling life that meet their health and social needs.
Her Excellency Al Rumaithi stated that senior citizens are both a blessing and a source of security for our country, and that attending to their needs for comfort is the least that can be done to honour their years of contributions. We seek to ensure their comfort and stability while adhering to the highest safety and health regulations. Her Excellency Al Rumaithi further emphasised FDF’s efforts to create safe homes for senior citizens by making requisite modifications to ensure sustainable safety that is customised to their health conditions and circumstances.
Her Excellency Al Rumaithi also discussed the significance of the FDF’s initiative, highlighting that it involves house modifications that assist senior citizens’ mobility, while also ensuring social engagement and integration. These modifications include the installation of access ramps, inclusion of handrails in key locations, and the use of nonslip flooring in outdoor spaces. Her Excellency also further emphasised the need of widening doorways, improving lighting, and adding a canopy or awning at the entry of homes to provide weather protection, while maintaining full compliance with safety standards.
Her Excellency Al Rumaithi said: “Care for seniors is a basic humanitarian and national value that represents social cohesiveness and improves quality of life. It encourages the use of FDF’s community initiatives and programs to ensure a dignified and safe life for this vital segment of the society, as well as protect their position and promote their psychological and social health.”
His Excellency Abdulrahman Al Blooshi, Director of the Strategic Planning and Institutional Development Department at FDF, highlighted one of the Foundation’s significant initiatives, which is the launch of the Safe Home Guide for Senior Citizens. This initiative seeks to provide a safer and comfortable living environment that meets the health and functional needs of senior citizens. His Excellency Al Blooshi stated that the guide aims to raise awareness among families and encourage them to redesign and adjust their homes to accommodate senior citizens by providing latest technologies that enhance their daily life and strengthen their social stability.
His Excellency Al Blooshi further emphasised that the modifications made to the bedroom are necessary, as it is the place senior citizens feel comfortable and relaxed, ensuring that there are no unexpected risks or accidents. Slip-resistant flooring, support handles, adjustable bed height and the positioning of an emergency call button or bell near the bed are some of the necessary enhancements. In addition, a small table next to the bed is one of the necessary upgrades to keep medications or glasses, while nighttime lighting being touch-activated or automatically motion-sensing can be convenient. Furniture should be organised to allow for simple movement, and the flooring should be kept free of cables and barriers to ensure the highest safety standards for senior citizens, who are considered as a blessing in our lives and a source of wisdom and giving.
Wafa Mohammed Al Ali, Acting Director of FDF, stated that technology is no more a luxury, but rather a means to convey our love and care for the comport of senior citizens. She stated that simple innovations can make a significant difference in creating a safer and more independent home environment for senior citizens. These technologies include motion sensors that automatically illuminate hallways at night, fall or emergency alarm systems, indoor surveillance cameras that reassure family members remotely, smart medication organisers that remind them of their medication schedules and voice assistants that allow for easy lighting control or assistance requests.
She emphasised the need of providing a safe home environment for senior citizens, starting with simple yet important details. She highlighted the importance of sufficient lighting in corridors and bathrooms to reduce the risk of falls, as senior citizens require clearer vision. Proper lighting makes a significant difference to their safety. She further stressed the significance of support handles in bathrooms to assist with standing and moving, as these are the most common sites for household accidents. Simple changes can mitigate major risks. To avoid tripping, remove loose carpets and exposed cables, as safe flooring equals safe steps. The layout of furniture should allow for simple movement, particularly for persons who use assistive devices such as walkers or wheelchairs. Senior citizens can roam more freely and safely in open settings.
To access the guide, visit: https://www.fdf.gov.ae/PublicationsDoc/SafeHomeGuide.pdf
