By Hani Hazaimeh

AMMAN - A report issued by the National Centre for Human Rights (NCHR) on Tuesday uncovered “miserable” living conditions among the 302 male and female residents in the Kingdom's 11 elderly homes.

"The main goal of establishing elderly homes is to provide old people with protection and appropriate social, psychological and healthcare services. However, facts on the ground reflect a negative image of the living conditions of the residents, who were sent to these homes against their will by their relatives," the report, prepared by an NCHR team in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Development, said.

The report was the outcome of several field visits to elderly homes carried out between June 14 and July 9 of this year, during which the team members checked on the physical, mental, emotional and social conditions of the residents.

Urging the relevant authorities to take immediate action to protect this vulnerable group, the report revealed that most elderly homes do not have sufficient toilets, libraries where residents can read books or magazines, or enough space for walking.

The report also noted a shortage of special accommodations for old people with special needs such as railings on stairwells and medical beds.

Moreover, the report said the elderly homes are not smoking-free areas, which poses a health risk for non-smokers and contradicts the country's efforts to combat smoking in public areas. In addition, most elderly homes are in need of constant and periodic maintenance, the report added.

In order to tackle this issue, the NCHR recommended spreading awareness among the public of the importance of this segment of the community aged above 60 and their role in society, and called for amending the law to criminalise any act of violence against the elderly either by their children or by those responsible for their care in elderly homes.

The damage caused by mental violence is greater than that from physical violence, the NCHR report said, citing a case of an old woman who has not been visited by any of her relatives for the past 24 years since she was brought to the elderly home.

The report added that several residents were found to be subject to various types of abuse, be they physical, financial or mental, but were unable to report it to the authorities due to a lack of knowledge about their rights.

The NCHR also called on the authorities to ensure an appropriate environment in public and private elderly homes, to hold them to public safety standards and to improve the homes’ healthcare services including physiotherapy, which is mostly needed by older people.

Furthermore, the report called for greater initiative on the part of government and society at large to strengthen the connection between the older and younger generations.

"Social justice requires strong bonds between the generations. Therefore, it is important to encourage voluntary work by the younger generation in taking care of elderly citizens," the report concluded.

According to the report, the geographic distribution of elderly homes should be reconsidered, taking into account that currently there are eight homes in Amman, one in Zarqa and one in Fuheis, while the last one was shut down by the ministry based on a complaint reported by the NCHR team who discovered that the home failed to meet minimum public health regulations.

Also, the report said most of the 140 people working in the elderly homes lack the academic qualifications and practical training needed to take care of the elderly.