This move aligns with FDF’s dedication to meeting the requirements of senior citizens and designing social services that align with their aspirations

Abu Dhabi, June 04, 2025: The Family Development Foundation (FDF) has launched a series of interactive dialogue forums for 2025, exclusively for senior citizens. The key objective of this move is to increase the contributions of elderly people in shaping the future of social services and support them to express their requirements and dreams.

Last year, FDF organised nine dialogue forums, which had the active participation of 273 members from different community categories. In 2025, seven out of planned 16 forums has already been conducted, engaging 154 senior citizens, their companions and partners. This initiative underscores the pivotal role of elderly people in designing social services to serve them.

These forums seek to improve community participation in future planning processes, understand the needs of senior citizens for programs and services and create supporting policies for elderly community in collaboration with strategic partners. Furthermore, it evaluates the preparedness of families to meet the psychological, health and social needs of senior citizens while contributing to creating comprehensive, high-quality services in line with FDF’s dedication to support this significant category of society. 

His Excellency Abdulrahman Al Baloushi, Director of the Strategic Planning and Institutional Development Department at FDF, emphasised that the series of interactive discussion forums’ focus on this vital community group aligns with the Foundation’s recently updated mandates and its continuous efforts to improve social services for senior citizens.

In addition, H.E. Al Baloushi pointed out that these forums seek to reinforce community engagement in future planning, identify the service and program needs of seniors and ensure that comprehensive, high-quality services are offered. This move comes in alignment with the vision and directives of H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, ‘Mother of the Nation,’ Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union (GWU), President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation (FDF), who constantly supported the provision of a supportive environment for elderly community which boost their societal role, safeguard their dignity and ensure continued contributions.

H.E. Al Baloushi also reaffirmed that those forums stand as a vital platform for direct communication with special community groups, ensuring a deeper understanding of their challenges and aspirations. They offer an ideal stage for the exchange of ideas and proposals, supporting evidence-based decision making. Such a participatory approach contributes to the development of social policies and programs that shows the actual needs of the local community and highlights FDF’s unwavering commitment to ensure innovation and integration in offering its services.

In addition, H.E. Al Baloushi highlighted that FDF has employed the focus group method as a structured tool for collecting qualitative data from participants. He explained that each session included an introduction to the forum’s goals and pillars and division into smaller groups led by specialised staff members to discuss specific questions leveraging a precise scientific approach. The responses were recorded and assessed using the Mentimeter system, which helped to exhibit results while also allowing a direct and transparent communication with attendees and enhancing the forum’s overall result.

H.E. Al Baloushi said, “The Foundation has leveraged a comprehensive approach, merging qualitative analysis to open-ended responses with data analysis tools to find percentages and averages for closed-ended questions to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the results. The series commenced with the first forum held at Al Mirfa Centre in February 2025, under the theme ‘Assessing the Needs of Senior Citizens.’ The event convened 23 senior citizens and their companions and ensured their active participation. During the session, attendees looked into existing and proposed services and shared their perspectives and opinions transparently in a dialogue-driven environment that promoted experience-sharing and encouraged new initiatives.”

Muneera Majid Al Ali, Director of the Research and Studies Department at FDF, said, “In line with our relentless efforts to reinforce social monitoring and gain a broader understanding of societal changes, we have employed a comprehensive methodology that blends both quantitative and qualitative sources. The dialogue forums are one of our key qualitative tools, which played a pivotal role in collecting community insights and opinions on priority socials issues.”

These sessions highlight an effective interactive approach to opening direct communication channels with community members and key stakeholders. It enables more precise understanding of social reality from different perspectives and contributing to the provision of more responsive services in line with the requirements.

She added, “Apart from the forums, FDF also depends on a wide array of data sources, such as official records, the Digital Social Observer platform, service performance outcomes, and findings from field studies and social research, to develop a comprehensive and reliable understanding of social dynamics.” The Foundation underscores that understanding the community’s perspective is not a routine task but a cornerstone in building evidence-based and reality-driven policies.

Muneera Majid Al Ali, added, “The forum looked into a range of important themes, aiming to understand the expectations of senior citizens concerning the centre’s services, while also identifying their key service priorities within the area. It assessed the effectiveness of current services and their contribution towards improving quality of life. The discussions also addressed the spatial requirements within the centre, the efficiency of communication channels with the Foundation, and the participants’ future expectations for the services offered, all with the overarching goal of shaping a service ecosystem that aligns with their aspirations and enriches their overall experience.”

She noted that the insightful discussions that unleashed during the forum resulted in several key outcomes, most importantly the clear identification of senior citizens’ primary needs at Al Mirfa Center. Participants expressed a strong interest in upgrading existing facilities and introducing new recreational amenities such as a swimming pool, fitness centre, and a majlis, as well as organising social events like outings and competitions. They also outlined their service priorities, with health forum services ranked the highest, followed by the social forum and the My Happiness forum. The majority of attendees confirmed that the services currently provided align well with their needs and have positively influenced their physical, mental, and social well-being. Furthermore, participants emphasised the importance of enhancing support services, including the establishment of a physiotherapy centre. The findings also indicated that social media platforms were considered the most effective means of communication with the FDF, outperforming other methods such as the website or phone calls.

She went on to note that, based on the forum’s outcomes, researchers at the FDF recommended that the Foundation continue hosting dialogue forums, as they serve as a valuable tool for strengthening communication between the FDF and the wider community. These sessions play a key role in refining and customising services to reflect the real needs of senior citizens. The researchers highlighted the importance of prioritising core services, particularly those delivered through the My Health Forum and the Social Forum and ensuring these continue to align with beneficiaries’ expectations.

In addition, they advised a careful review of the suggestions put forward, especially those related to upgrading facilities and introducing new services that resonate with the preferences of older adults. Additionally, the researchers stressed the importance of harnessing social media platforms to disseminate targeted awareness content for senior citizens and their caregivers, while also exploring volunteer opportunities that match their skills and experience, promoting stronger social integration and recognising their valuable contributions.

The foundation confirmed that these initiatives align with its strategic vision to provide more inclusive and impactful services that ensure a dignified and sustainable quality of life for elderly people. FDF is committed towards supporting this pivotal section of society, identifying them as a key pillar of the community, through the adoption of policies and programs that improve their well-being and reflect society’s appreciation for their valuable contributions.