A Proposal for a National Social Program for Supporting the Elderly in Saudi Arabia

Nawal  A. Aleban

doi:10.36941/jesr-2021-0098

Authors

Nawal A. Aleban Assistant Professor of Social Work, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Saudi Arabia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36941/jesr-2021-0098

Keywords:

The elderly, Elderly care, Proposal, Social program, Social welfare of the elderly

Abstract

The present study aims to make a proposal for a national social care program for the elderly in the main regions of Saudi Arabia modeled on King Salman Social Center in Riyadh. The author adopted the analytical descriptive approach and developed and distributed a questionnaire to an intentional sample of (382) Saudi women and an interview form distributed to (6) social specialists. The results showed that the reality of the social programs for the elderly in Saudi Arabia was low. Thus, the study stressed the importance of having specialized social programs for the elderly. It reported the importance of social relationships for the elderly. Moreover, the obstacles to the programs for the elderly include the lack of a supervision body and low social awareness. Participants agreed on the importance of the governmental affiliation of these programs and the concerted civil and governmental efforts in all fields in favor of the elderly.

Received: 30 March 2021 / Accepted: 26 May 2021 / Published: 8 July 2021