Retiring Unprepared in Abu Dhabi? Predicting Emirati Employees' Retirement Age and Self-Activation

The topic of retirement is rarely explored in the context of the Middle Eastern and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. This study drew on data from a large-scale survey of retirees in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a universal welfare state characterized by the persistence of the traditional male-breadwinner model and gender roles, to analyze the determinants of retirement timing and post-retirement work. Multi-level regressions were performed to explore the effects of individual, family, institutional, and social-economic factors. The study revealed that Emirati females tended to retire earlier than men to fulfill their domestic duties and informal caregiving roles, rather than to retire together with their spouse. Additionally, early retirement incentives offered by Abu Dhabi pension systems appeared to attract employees into early retirement. On the other hand, securing more financial resources and reduced sense of belonging in society were among the most significant predictors of post-retirement job searching motivations among Emirati retirees.

Sociocultural insights on dementia care-giving in Arab and Muslim communities: the perspectives of family care-givers

Little is known about the experiences of informal family care-giving for persons with ADRD in the context of Arab and Muslim communities. This paper offers fresh insight into the less-studied private sphere of the home, showing how families respond to the onset and long-term care of persons with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). It considers the extent to which sociocultural and religious influences are appropriated by family care-givers as coping mechanisms and motivators for care. Drawing upon interviews with 32 family care-givers for older persons living with ADRD in Qatar, findings reveal the intersectionality of the care-giving experience with various sociocultural, religious and emotional influences through seven emergent themes: (a) reasons and motivations for care-giving; (b) role of the extended family; (c) socio-demographic attributes of care-givers, their allocated responsibilities and how these intersect; (d) socio-religious attitudes towards care-giving of older persons; (e) social stigma; (f) personal knowledge of ADRD; and (g) coping mechanisms. The paper is concluded with key implications of these sociocultural insights for theory, policy and practice, which could inform Qatar's health and social care provision sector as well as other Arab and Muslim communities that share similar cultural and religious belief systems.

Coping Strategies and Burden Dimensions of Family Caregivers for People Diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

(1) Background: Obsessive−compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic mental disorder that can be a source of emotional, financial and/or social burden for family caregivers. Few studies have investigated family caregiving for patients diagnosed with OCD in relation to the coping strategies being used from a theoretical perspective. This study evaluated the burden and coping strategies of family caregivers for people diagnosed with OCD. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, in which 123 participants diagnosed with OCD and their caregivers were surveyed using three types of scales: obsessive−compulsive scale; coping scale; and burden scale. (3) Results: Of the participants with OCD and their caregivers, 53% and 31% were male and 47% and 69% were female, respectively. Around 80% of the OCD patients were considered young and their age ranged from 20−40 years old. Forty percent of caregivers in the current study reported a high burden level. The caregivers of those who had severe OCD symptoms had a lower coping level compared to the caregivers of those with less severe symptoms and those urban caregivers were able to better cope than rural caregivers. There was an association between OCD symptom severity and financial, work-related, social and family relationships, mental and health burdens for family caregivers. Meanwhile, the greater coping level of family caregivers, the lesser social and family, mental, and spouse relationship burden (p < 0.05); (4) Conclusions: The family caregivers of people diagnosed with OCD have specific aspects of burden and coping which require support by designing strategic interventions for family caregiver coping.

Dementia caregiving in the Middle East and North Africa: A scoping review

Care for persons with dementia in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is undertaken predominantly by family members, domestic workers, and private nurses within the home. Domestic caregivers possess different understandings and varying degrees of knowledge of dementia that are influenced by complex socio-cultural and religious factors. With much of the burden falling on the shoulders of "invisible" caregivers, the role and needs of these individuals require deeper scrutiny. The purpose of this scoping review was to examine the empirical studies published on caring for persons with dementia in Arab countries of the MENA region. Using a systematic review technique, searches were conducted on PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar using database-specific terms associated with caregiving, dementia, aging, and the MENA region. To ensure local and regional research was captured, hand searches of regional journals, reference lists of included articles, and Arabic databases Al-Manhal and e-Marefa were also searched. No date restrictions were imposed. Twenty studies met inclusion criteria and the following themes were identified: caregiving experiences and the burden of care; barriers to caregiving; and caregiver recommendations to improve care. Results demonstrate that studies about informal caregivers and dementia within Arab-Muslim populations are underrepresented in the research. This review highlights the paucity of literature on service users' experiences and underscores the need for future research specific to dementia care within the Arab-Islamic sociocultural context. These trajectories are especially pertinent given the unprecedented aging demographics of the MENA populations.

Islam and Mental Disorders of the Older Adults: Religious Text, Belief System and Caregiving Practices

This paper illustrates the impact of Islamic religious texts on dementia care in the Middle East. It examines how old age and older adults mental disorders are framed in the Quran and Hadith, and how these texts are transformed to belief ideologies and caregiving practices. The study uses a qualitative research methods, which include a review of all Islamic holy texts that address mental and cognitive changes associated with ageing, along with interviews with eight Sharia scholars and 37-Arab-Muslim families living in Qatar. Islamic texts command compassion and honouring of elderly parents and give care instructions. These texts are transformed into social practices and used as diagnostic and treatment tools.

Perspectives of elder abuse in Lebanon

Elder abuse is a preventable problem. Presently, little is known about this phenomenon in Middle Eastern settings. The purpose of this study was to explore elder abuse in Beirut, Lebanon from different stakeholders' points of view with a focus on identifying behaviors that are considered to be abusive to older adults and predisposing factors. Focus group discussions were carried out with 88 home- and institution-based older adults, their family members and caregivers, and with 49 stakeholders (medical professionals, institution directors, government officials). Results showed that behaviors considered abusive among Lebanese participants were comparable to reports from international studies. The most commonly mentioned risk factors were history of abuse in a seemingly dysfunctional family followed by caregivers' lack of acceptance of the physical changes that accompany aging. The response to elder abuse requires a multidimensional approach that spans protective policies to increase care providers' awareness about the physiologic changes of aging as well as concerted efforts to correct misinformation about the hidden problem of elder abuse.

Factors influencing the deterioration from cognitive decline of normal aging to dementia among nursing home residents

BACKGROUND

A dearth of differential research exists regarding the determinants of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and moderate cognitive impairment or dementia among nursing home residents. This study aimed to identify and examine the association between medical factors (number of comorbidities, hospitalization, disability, depression, frailty and quality of life) and moderate cognitive impairment or dementia in nursing homes residents.

METHODS

A cross-sectional design was used in this study. Convenience sampling of 182 participants was conducted in nursing homes located in the central part of Jordan. Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) was used to screen both MCI and moderate cognitive impairment or dementia. Bivariate analysis, including t-test and ANOVA test, and logistic and linear regression models were used to examine and identify the medical factors associated with moderate cognitive impairment or dementia compared to mild cognitive impairment.

RESULTS

Most nursing home residents had MCI (87.4%) compared to a few with moderate cognitive impairment or dementia. Age (t = - 2.773), number of comorbidities (t = - 4.045), depression (t = - 4.809), frailty (t = - 4.038), and quality of life physical (t = 3.282) and mental component summaries (t = 2.469) were significantly different between the stages of cognitive impairment. Marital status (t = - 4.050, p <  0.001), higher-income (t = 3.755, p <  0.001), recent hospitalization (t = 2.622,p = 0.01), depression (t = - 2.737, p = 0.007), and frailty (t = 2.852, p = 0.005) were significantly associated with mental ability scores among nursing home residents.

CONCLUSION

The coexistence of comorbidities and depression among nursing home residents with MCI necessitates prompt management by healthcare providers to combat depressive symptoms in order to delay the dementia trajectory among at-risk residents.

TRAIL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04589637 , October 15,2020, Retrospectively registered.

Reconstruction of a Caregiver Burden Scale: Identifying Culturally Sensitive Items in Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACTFor this study, we adapted the Montgomery Borgatta Caregiver Burden Scale, used widely in the United States, to the Saudi Arabian context. To produce an Arabic, culturally sensitive version of the scale, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 Saudi family caregivers. The Arabic version of the scale was tested, and participants were asked to comment on the appropriateness of items for the construct of "caregiver burden" using the repertory grid technique and laddering procedure - two constructivist methods derived from personal construct theory. From interview findings, we examined the content of the items and the caregiver burden construct itself. Our findings suggest that the use of constructivist methods to refine constructs and quantitative instruments is highly informative. This strategy is feasible even when little is known about the investigated constructs in the target culture and further elucidates our understanding of cross-cultural variations or invariance of different versions of the scale.

Nexus Between Demographic Change and Elderly Care Need in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries: Some Policy Implications

Population ageing is a phenomenon affecting the whole world. The countries that make up the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are no exception but transitions in population ageing are still in the early stages of the process. With current demographic dividends experienced by the GCC and the rest of the Middle-East, the pace of population ageing will be faster than that experienced by many European countries. The purpose of this paper is to explore the population ageing experience of different GCC countries while situating this within a context of social policies that still at the very early stages of acknowledging such change. We utilise data from sources such as the United Nations and the World Bank, complemented by policy analysis of current age-related social security measures in the GCC. Given the importance of the family aged care system in the region, we consider the implications of changes in family structures, living conditions, and care needs for the elderly. The findings confirm the declining trend in fertility combined with increased life expectancy in all the six GCC countries. However, they highlight that social policy measures focused on the older generations and their care needs are still relatively at the early stages of each country's policy agenda. The implications of such changes are serious in term of both the demand for and supply of care. Policy-makers need to adapt cohesive social policy strategies that strengthen the complementing relationships between the state, family and wider community as stakeholders in the provision of aged care.

'There is a dependent patient in our home': designing and disseminating a family caregiving program through YouTube

BACKGROUND

Family members play a major role in providing care for older people and long-term dependent patients, especially in developing countries where there is a lack of specialized nursing homes and specialized home-visiting programs. Family members are rarely provided with sufficient information or training to provide home care for their dependent relatives. There are inadequate home caregiving educational resources directed to Arabic-speaking caregivers, either in written or in audiovisual presentations.

OBJECTIVES

The aims of the present study were (i) to present the process of designing a caregiving educational program entitled 'there is a dependent patient in our home', with an intention to be culturally and linguistically appropriate for a specific Arab-speaking population, and (ii) to present the experience of disseminating the program through YouTube, to be accessible for a wide range of caregivers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The program was a product of a process involving seven phases, starting with a review of the literature and ending with disseminating 17 short 'caregiving' videos on YouTube, the most popular video-sharing website. The program presented necessary skills, instructions, and information that enabled caregivers to provide safe and competent daily caring activities for their functionally dependent relative or older adults at home.

RESULTS

The program was registered in the Jordan National Library. After 2 months of broadcasting it on YouTube, the number of views exceeded 6800. Many constructive comments were received from caregivers. Language, simplicity, and attractiveness of the program were judged as the areas of satisfaction by the viewers, whereas lack of a few topics such as verbal communication with patients and dealing with daily caregivers' burden and stressors were the main reasons of dissatisfaction.

CONCLUSION

This program was an endeavor to provide the Arabic library with a home caregiving resource. Adequate advertisement of the program would encourage health providers to search for and use the currently available social media as means of delivering educational services to family caregivers.