Doha - Population of the elderly in Qatar is expected to rise to 12 percent by 2025 due to an improvement in the quality of life and healthcare services in the country, according to an expert from the Hamad Medical Corporation.
Dr Shahada Al Kahlout, a specialist at the Rumailah Hospital, while addressing a workshop on elderly care said the number of people in Qatar aged over 60 has been increasing over the years showing an increase in life expectancy.
Population of senior citizens in Qatar was very low according to the 1950 census which rose to 5 percent in 2000. Their number is expected to rise further up to 12 percent by 2025, said Al Kahlout.
She attributed the rise to a combination of factors including improved medical and social care in the country, invention of new medicines for various diseases as well as economic prosperity of the citizens.
The population of the elderly word wide is expected to rise to 1.17billion by 2025, against 427m recorded in 1985, marking an increase of about six percent.
On the society's attitude towards the elderly, the speaker said: "Families see them as a burden, politicians view them as vote banks and doctors view them as patients. But they should be treated like human beings with dignity."
The three-day workshop that concluded yesterday was organised by the Qatar Foundation for the Elderly to train their employees as well as families on how to deal with the elderly
© The Peninsula 2009
