Queen Rania Visits Elderly Home and Meets with National Strategy for the Elderly Task Force

Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah met, today, with the task force overseeing the National Strategy for the Elderly during a visit to the Home of the Human Care in Al-Fuhais.

The home was inaugurated by Queen Rania in 1999 and is run by the Franciscan Sisters of the Cross Congregation of Lebanon.

During the meeting, Her Majesty listened to a briefing by Mr. Fadel Al Hmoud, Secretary General of National Council for Family Affairs (NCFA), on NCFA’s efforts in carrying out the national strategy’s mission, with particular focus on Jordanian traditions and religious values of respect, affection, kinship as well as solidarity between generations.

Al Hmoud also said that drawing a strategy that deals with the elderly in 2008 is considered the foundation stone of many works that followed, including a study that evaluated the elderly’s situation in Jordan, between the years 2009 and 2013, done in collaboration with the UNFPA.

He also noted that the strategy’s task force consists of 25 governmental bodies and civil society institutions in order to take advantage of the shared experiences and strengthen the participatory approach to work and implementation.

During the meeting, the National Strategy for the elderly direction, gaps, shortcomings, and the way forward were discussed.

Her Majesty, also, thanked members of the task force for their efforts and urged that the next phase should work on changing the public perception of the elderly in society, highlighting that they’re members of society who have extensive life experience and their contributions remain vital to our society today. Adding that not benefiting from their experiences and wisdom is a big loss.

Upon her arrival, Queen Rania was greeted by Sister Janet Abu Abdallah, President of Sisters of the Cross (Lebanon), Sister Nuha Sadqa, Director of Home of the Human Care, Sister Elizabeth Abi Hashem, member of Sisters of the Cross (Lebanon), Father Hikmat Haddadin, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Makhamreh, some of the center’s most prominent donors and supporters.

Later, Queen Rania toured the home, which consists of three floors; the ground floor includes the reception area, offices, kitchen, laundry and the nuns’ rooms. Each of the first and second floors include 30 rooms for the elderly, a common room, a dining room, and other multipurpose rooms.

Her Majesty also visited and checked on one of the residents, a 96 year old woman. She also thanked the team running the home and commended the quality of service and care provided.

The home is built on a plot of land donated by Late Father Yousef Ne’mat, whose daughter is currently a nun at the Home. Father Ne’mat also contributed the cost of construction.

Services provided by the home are considered of high standard and include nursing, spiritual and human care in addition to entertainment services. Father Hikmat Haddadin contributed a seed fund to start the building of a new extension.