RESOURCES

This section contains our resources across blogs, publications, presentations and useful links.

Blogs

Read our latest blogs and news:

How to promote healthy ageing in the MENA region? The role of practitioners and local actors Blogs, Mobilising Research on Healthy Ageing in the MENA Region, Research Activities, Resources, Videos Population ageing is happening at an unprecedented pace globally, with most older people projected to live in Low and Middle-Income countries, including the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The UN Decade of Healthy Ageing provides a unique opportunity Continue Reading Developing a Scale of Care Work-Related Quality of Life (CWRQoL) Blogs, Publications, Research Activities Professor Shereen Hussein recently completed an RfPB funded project focused on developing a scale of care work-related quality of life. The project ran from September 2019 to December 2021, led by Professor Hussein, collaborating between the London School of Hygiene Continue Reading The Right to Dignified Ageing – A Guide to Establishing Rights-Based Policies for Older Persons in the Arab Region Blogs, Publications, Resources The Arab Plan of Action on Ageing (APA2002), the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA2002) and the Arab Regional Ageing Strategy (2019 – 2029) constitute appropriate frameworks to encourage Arab States to develop and implement national strategies and Continue Reading Can the Madrid Plan on Ageing (MIPPA) Current Review Benefit the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region? Blogs A recent blog by Mohamed Ismail discusses potential opportunities for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in relation to the current Madrid Plan on Ageing (MIPPA) review. This is the fourth review of MIPPA, which was signed in April Continue Reading Law and Ethics of Care of Older People in the MENA region Blogs, Resources, Videos In December 2021, MENARAH network lead, Professor Shereen Hussein, was invited by Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar’s (WCM-Q) to shed light on the ethics of long term care (LTC) in the context of the Middle East and North Africa (MENARAH) region. The event Continue Reading The Golden Paper on Fixing Pension Systems in MENA Region Blogs, Publications, Resources All Arab countries, except for three, have deficits in their pension funds exceeding 50%. As for the three countries, two of them started their social insurance relatively late and the third one had to significantly recapitalize its fund early last Continue Reading Healthy Ageing, Independence and Migration the Perspectives of Older Turkish Migrants in the UK Blogs, Publications Current policy direction, such as the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, calls to foster healthy ageing amongst older adults and promote older people’s wellbeing. The policy focuses on protecting the rights of the most Continue Reading AGEISM THROUGH THE AGES Blogs, Resources By Dr. Vânia de la Fuente-Núñez, Technical Officer, World Health Organization The Global Campaign to Combat Ageism will give focused attention to ageism as it affects different age groups from 1 October (International Day of Older Persons) to 20 November 2021 Continue Reading An Advocacy Brief from the World Health Organisation: Social isolation and loneliness among older people Blogs, Resources By: Christopher Mikton, Technical Officer, the World Health Organisation, Geneva Launched by WHO on the International Day of Friendship, a new advocacy brief highlights that social isolation and loneliness among older people are widespread globally. The COVID-19 pandemic and the Continue Reading Conditioned thinking and older migrants' health Blogs, Resources Mohamed Ismail writes on his latest blog: Migrants are known to contribute significantly to the host countries workforce. They are willing to take on challenging jobs, and their offspring are willing to take off tough topics in education. Moreover, they usually Continue Reading MENARAH's Launch Videos Blogs, Resources, Videos The MENARAH network was launched on 29th of September 2020 in a virtual event, which showcased the work of MENARAH so far and discussed some of its future aims. The event featured discussions with an international expert panel representing organisations such Continue Reading World Elder Abuse Awareness Day Blogs, Resources Yesterday, the 15th of June 2021, marked World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. Older people risk facing more abuse since the outbreak of COVID-19, including domestic violence and the neglect of basic needs. To mark the day, MENARAH's partner Help Age International Continue Reading Series 2 of ‘Movement is a Blessing’: 5 videos Blogs, COVID19 and the Wellbeing of Older People in the Middle East, Research Activities, Videos Between October 2020 and March 2021, Professor Shereen Hussein secured QR GCRF funding to continue the success of MENARAH’s Movement is a Blessing series aimed at improving the level of physical activities of older people in the MENA region especially Continue Reading European Sociological Association: Ageing in Europe Blogs, Presentations, Resources, Videos In January 2021, Professor Shereen Hussein gave a keynote speech on global ageing with a focus on the experience of countries in the Middle East and North Africa region as part of the European Sociological Association's Research Network on Ageing Continue Reading If not now, when? A report from the MENARAH partner HelpAge International Blogs, Publications, Resources A new report from aid agencies Age International and HelpAge International, If not now, when? criticises the humanitarian sector for its failure to address the needs of older people in emergencies. This failure contravenes several international commitments made in recent years and flies in the face of Continue Reading TEC-MED: Development of a transcultural ethical-social care model for the dependent population in the Mediterranean basin Blogs, Research Partners Mediterranean countries are showing common trends in terms of social support decrease and the need for innovative and sustainable socio-ethical-care models. These issues have an impact on many categories of vulnerable people, such as dependent elderly having chronic diseases and Continue Reading Narratives of ageing and caring: Voices from the Middle East Blogs, Mobilising Research on Healthy Ageing in the MENA Region, Research Activities, Videos The Middle East and North Africa region is experiencing a fast demographic change, including population ageing. For countries to be able to create a suitable environment and opportunities for older people and their families, there is a need for detailed Continue Reading Developing a scale to measure care workers' wellbeing Blogs, Presentations, Videos In this presentation, Professor Shereen Hussein introduces a project focusing on developing a standardised scale to measure the quality of life at work among formal care workers, CWRQoL. Wellbeing at work has been increasingly recognised as important to an individual’s physical Continue Reading COVID-19 in the Middle East and North Africa Region Blogs, COVID19 and the Wellbeing of Older People in the Middle East During April 2020, many countries in Europe suffered its first wave of infections with Covid-19 recording and increasingly high numbers of infections and deaths. The MENA region, on the other hand, had reported small numbers both for Covid-19 infections and Continue Reading Modelling the infection spread of Covid-19 in the Long Term Care (LTC) facilities of care homes Blogs During the peak of the first wave of Covid-19, Europe has suffered a large number of care homes’ deaths due to Covid-19 infections.  Several media coverages claimed the death toll could be attributed to governments polices. However, the lack of Continue Reading The Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Learning Platform Blogs, Research Partners Both the MENARAH network and the EMR-SDGs Learning Platform are two initiatives that are joining forces to capitalize on each other strength, expand the content of their respective contributions, as well as reach a wider audience.  The EMR-SDGs Learning Platform is Continue Reading Engaging with national and international researchers Blogs, Mobilising Research on Healthy Ageing in the MENA Region, Videos For an effective policy formulation and decision-making it is crucial to understand knowledge gaps and potential opportunities. In 2020, Professor Shereen Hussein conducted a number of interviews with key international and regional researchers to explore issues associated with population ageing Continue Reading The importance of data, quality indicators and systems: Messages to the MENA region when setting long-term care policies Blogs, Learning from the International Experience, Videos As part of the GCRF partnership work, Professor Shereen Hussein held a series of interviews with researchers at the National Research Council, Institute for Research on Population and Social Policies in Rome Italy. Talking to Daniela Luzi, Fabrizio Pecoraro and Continue Reading Learning from the Italian experience: Meeting at INRCA-IRCCS Blogs, Learning from the International Experience, Videos In February 2020, Professor Shereen Hussein was invited by INRCA-IRCCS (National Institute of Health and Science on Ageing) - Centre for Socio-Economic Research on Ageing, (Ancona, Italy) to discuss population ageing in the MENA region. Following a presentation explaining the Continue Reading The employability of older people in the Middle East Blogs In July 2020, Professor Shereen Hussein was interviewed by SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management, to discuss the challenges and opportunities in relation to the employment of older people in the Middle East. Professor Hussein highlights the limited opportunity of Continue Reading On the news: Professor Shereen Hussein's interview for KMTV Blogs, Videos On the 17th of July, Professor Hussein was interviewed by KMTV to comment on recent scientific research indicating the world's population is shrinking. She comments on the implications of these changes on society as a whole and the need to Continue Reading How are you coping during COVID-19? A global survey Blogs, Research Partners The Institute of Global Health and Human Ecology (I-GHHE) at the American University in Cairo (AUC) along with researchers from the US, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, UK, Norway and the Netherlands are undertaking a global survey on how people are Continue Reading Telemedicine solutions for older people in the MENA region Blogs, COVID19 and the Wellbeing of Older People in the Middle East, Research Activities, Resources Project team: Professor Shereen Hussein, Dr Mohamed Salama, Galal Abu El-Dahab Egypt is considered the most populated Arab country with a 2.2% growth rate per year, with the population expected to be 151 million by 2050 (Colliers 2017). Additionally, Egypt falls behind in the quantity Continue Reading Our Elder's Health, a Facebook page for older people and their carers in the MENA region Blogs, COVID19 and the Wellbeing of Older People in the Middle East, Research Activities, Resources In 2020, Professor Shereen Hussein secured funding through the University of Kent, GCRF Emergency Response Fund, to utilise social media platforms to raise awareness of healthy ageing in the Middle East and North Africa during COVID19 pandemic.  As part of this Continue Reading Movement is a blessing- training instruction videos for older people Blogs, COVID19 and the Wellbeing of Older People in the Middle East, Resources, Videos This video series aims to increase awareness of the importance of physical activities for older people especially during these times with COVID19 pandemic and the fact that most older people are staying at home more than usual. Basic physical activities Continue Reading

Publications

MENARAH members’ publications:

Developing a Scale of Care Work-Related Quality of Life (CWRQoL) Blogs, Publications, Research Activities Professor Shereen Hussein recently completed an RfPB funded project focused on developing a scale of care work-related quality of life. The project ran from September 2019 to December 2021, led by Professor Hussein, collaborating between the London School of Hygiene Continue Reading The Right to Dignified Ageing – A Guide to Establishing Rights-Based Policies for Older Persons in the Arab Region Blogs, Publications, Resources The Arab Plan of Action on Ageing (APA2002), the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA2002) and the Arab Regional Ageing Strategy (2019 – 2029) constitute appropriate frameworks to encourage Arab States to develop and implement national strategies and Continue Reading Policies and practices shaping long-term care: between an inclusivity ethos and service delivery realities Publications, Resources MENARAH network lead, Professor Shereen Hussein and Professor Sara Charlesworth, at the RMIT University, Guest edited a new Themed Section in the Journal of Social Policy and Society. The Themed Section includes five articles in addition to the introduction and Continue Reading New Publication: Risk Recognition Policies for the Long-Term Care Workforce during the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Multi-Country Study Publications, Resources The precarious work arrangements experienced by many long-term care workers have led to the creation of a “shared” workforce across residential, home, and community ageing care sectors. This shared workforce was identified as a contributor to the spread of COVID-19 Continue Reading The Golden Paper on Fixing Pension Systems in MENA Region Blogs, Publications, Resources All Arab countries, except for three, have deficits in their pension funds exceeding 50%. As for the three countries, two of them started their social insurance relatively late and the third one had to significantly recapitalize its fund early last Continue Reading Healthy Ageing, Independence and Migration the Perspectives of Older Turkish Migrants in the UK Blogs, Publications Current policy direction, such as the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, calls to foster healthy ageing amongst older adults and promote older people’s wellbeing. The policy focuses on protecting the rights of the most Continue Reading Ageing, Long-Term Care Provision and Funding Mechanisms in Turkey Publications, Resources A new publication from MENARAH's network authored by Mohamed Ismail and Professor Shereen Hussein providing a detailed review of ageing and long term care in Turkey. They also provide a novel estimation of long-term care costs in Turkey adopting an Continue Reading If not now, when? A report from the MENARAH partner HelpAge International Blogs, Publications, Resources A new report from aid agencies Age International and HelpAge International, If not now, when? criticises the humanitarian sector for its failure to address the needs of older people in emergencies. This failure contravenes several international commitments made in recent years and flies in the face of Continue Reading Developing the Omani strategy for social development 2016-2025 Publications, Resources The Omani Ministry of Social Development (MoSD) is the body responsible for the implementation of the Omani government’s visions in the field of social protection and empowerment. The MoSD extracted its past policy responsibilities from the strategic guidelines included in Continue Reading Active Ageing: Social and cultural integration of Turkish migrants in London Publications Ageing of migrants in Europe has become an important policy issue, especially within the context of health inequalities and increasing health care costs. Based on in-depth interviews with older Alevi/Kurdish refugees in London, we explore the cumulative impact of difficult Continue Reading Long-term care in Turkey Publications, Resources In this book chapter Sema Õglak discusses ageing population in Turkey and highlights the shortfalls in current long-term care system to meet the expected increasing demand. She provides an overview of the demographic changes predicted in Turkey and then discusses Continue Reading From home to home: Older migrants in Europe Publications, Resources Older migrants are very diverse. It is not possible to speak of “the group of older migrants” because their history, their background is different. The reasons why they migrate are not always the same. The reasons are very personal. The Continue Reading Designing a Dementia Care Model in Turkey Publications Dementia is a significant and increasing public health problem that impacts individuals, their family and friends, care-givers and society. Dementia is characterised by a combination of symptoms that affects thinking, orientation, comprehension, calculation, learning capacity, language, and judgment.  Dementia remains one Continue Reading Developing Turkish Long Term Care Model Publications Between 2015 and 2017 Professor Shereen Hussein supported the Turkish Ministry of Family and Social Policy (MoFSP) to review the scope and spread of its long term care services. The aim was to develop a new model of care to Continue Reading Theory of Change Workshops: Guidance and resources Publications A core part of STRIDE was conducting Theory of Change (ToC) stakeholder workshops to (1) develop a strategic direction for STRiDE and dementia care, treatment and support across STRiDE countries (2) develop a monitoring and evaluation framework for STRiDE across Continue Reading Mortality associated with COVID-19 outbreaks in care homes: early international evidence Publications, Resources Official data on the numbers of deaths among care home residents linked to COVID-19 is not available in many countries but an increasing number of countries are publishing data. International comparisons are difficult due to differences in testing availabilities and Continue Reading Ethnicity at work Publications Purpose – The aim of this paper is to explore the effect of ethnicity and separate this from the other dynamics associated with migration among members of the long-term care workforce in England focusing on the nature and structure of their Continue Reading SUMO modification of the neuroprotective protein TDP1 facilitates chromosomal single-strand break repair Publications Breaking and sealing one strand of DNA is an inherent feature of chromosome metabolism to overcome torsional barriers. Failure to reseal broken DNA strands results in protein-linked DNA breaks, causing neurodegeneration in humans. This is typified by defects in tyrosyl Continue Reading The Dementia Social Care Workforce Publications Objective: Little is known about the social care workforce supporting people with dementia in England. This article seeks to compare the characteristics of people employed in the social care sector supporting people with dementia with other members of the social care Continue Reading The diversity of staff supporting family carers in England: Findings from an analysis of a national data set Publications Little is known about those employed to support family carers of disabled people or those with long-term care needs. The term 'carer' is used in England to refer to family members and others who provide unpaid regular and substantial support Continue Reading Facts and Figures on Healthy Ageing and Long-term Care Publications Among the 20 countries with the highest life expectancyin the world, 17 belong to the Region of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), which brings together 54 countries in and around Europe, as well as Canada and the Continue Reading On-line information and registration with services: patterns of support for carers in England Publications Purpose The paper aims to ascertain how local authorities and other services are responding to central government strategies to make support for family carers a priority. Design/methodology/approach A web-based audit of local authority public information for carers was undertaken (n=50). The sample covered Continue Reading TDP1 deficiency sensitizes human cells to base damage via distinct topoisomerase I and PARP mechanisms with potential applications for cancer therapy Publications Base damage and topoisomerase I (Top1)-linked DNA breaks are abundant forms of endogenous DNA breakage, contributing to hereditary ataxia and underlying the cytotoxicity of a wide range of anti-cancer agents. Despite their frequency, the overlapping mechanisms that repair these forms Continue Reading Training Unemployed Women for Adult Day Care in İzmir, Turkey: A Program Evaluation Publications The proportion of older people in Turkey is increasing steadily with the subsequent growth of long-term care (LTC) needs. There is a scarcity of formal care provisions for residential and particularly nonresidential settings. Thus, formal caregiving is not meeting LTC Continue Reading Volunteers Supporting Older People in Formal Care Settings in England: Personal and Local Factors Influencing Prevalence and Type of Participation Publications In the UK context of financial austerity and the promotion of social responsibility through the concept of the “Big Society,” volunteers are becoming a more important part of the labour workforce. This is particularly so in the long-term care (LTC) Continue Reading Independent Children’s Social Work Practice Pilots: Evaluating Practitioners’ Job Control and Burnout Publications Objectives: To investigate whether a new model that delegates some out-of-home care services from the public to the private and not-for-profit sectors in England enhances practitioners’ job control and stress levels. Methods: A 3-year longitudinal matched-control evaluation examined changes in Karasek demand-control model Continue Reading Organisational Factors, Job Satisfaction and Intention to Leave Among Social Workers Publications Satisfaction with different organisational elements and aspects of work contributes markedly to overall levels of job satisfaction and intention to leave. For newly qualified social workers (NQSWs), especially immediately after graduation, self-perceived competence and their confidence in their educational preparation Continue Reading Elderly People Volunteering in Long-Term Care Facilities In Izmir, Turkey Publications Social inclusion and participation, including civic engagements such as volunteering, can be regarded as an important factor in quality of life of individuals particularly among older people. In the context of longer post retirement years in Turkey, there is a Continue Reading Population ageing in Malta: multidisciplinary perspectives Publications Life for older people was more simple 28 years ago. In 1982, the post office issued a set of two stamps on the theme of ‘a time of rest’ featuring an older man and woman in stereotypical village clothes against Continue Reading Ageing policy in Malta: Issues, policies and future trends. Publications Malta is no exception to the unprecedented demographic changes that are being experienced by industrial countries. As a result of declining fertility and mortality levels, Malta registered a decrease in fertility rates and a major improvement of life expectancy at Continue Reading

Presentations

Presentations and events:

The abuse and wellbeing of long-term care workers in the COVID-19 era: Evidence from the UK Presentations, Resources, Videos Professor Shereen Hussein and Dr Eirini-Christina Saloniki presented interim findings from the RESSCW study funded by the Health Foundation at the the International Long-Term Care Policy Network, LTCcovid, Workshop 6-7 December 2021. The social care workforce faced unprecedented challenges during the Continue Reading Ageing populations and care ecosystems: Policy complementarity, substitution and disconnect Presentations, Resources Global ageing is a phenomenon that created considerable opportunities as well as significant challenges. Longevity and increases in healthy years generate a range of societal and individual benefits. However, not all extra years of life are spent in good health, Continue Reading Dementia and the psychological wellbeing of older people and their formal and informal carers Presentations, Resources On the 22nd of July 2021, MENARAH's Network Lead Professor Shereen Hussein contributed to a seminar jointly organised by the Centre for Global Chronic Conditions and the Centre for Global Mental Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Continue Reading British Society of Gerontology 50th Annual Conference Presentations, Resources The BSG celebrates this year its 50th Annual Conference 7-9 July 2021. Professor Shereen Hussein was invited to give a keynote speech at the Emerging Researchers in Ageing (ERA) Pre-Conference Event‘Futures of gerontology, future gerontologists: Building leadership and research capacity for BSG 2046?’ on Continue Reading COVID-19, Social Distancing and Lockdown: Implications on Older People in the Middle East & North Africa COVID19 and the Wellbeing of Older People in the Middle East, Presentations, Research Activities, Resources In February 2021, Professor Shereen Hussein presented findings from the MENARAH’s research on the implications of COVID-19 restrictions and the wellbeing of older people in the MENA region in a symposium organised by the International Network for the Study of Arab Societies: Continue Reading European Sociological Association: Ageing in Europe Blogs, Presentations, Resources, Videos In January 2021, Professor Shereen Hussein gave a keynote speech on global ageing with a focus on the experience of countries in the Middle East and North Africa region as part of the European Sociological Association's Research Network on Ageing Continue Reading Ageing in and out of place: Inequalities at later life Presentations, Resources, Videos On the 4th of December Professor Shereen Hussein presented at the United Nation's International Institute on Ageing Webinar Series 2020. Across the globe, changes in demographic and socio-economic structures mean that large segments of societies are growing older across the world. Continue Reading Developing a scale to measure care workers' wellbeing Blogs, Presentations, Videos In this presentation, Professor Shereen Hussein introduces a project focusing on developing a standardised scale to measure the quality of life at work among formal care workers, CWRQoL. Wellbeing at work has been increasingly recognised as important to an individual’s physical Continue Reading The economic cost of long term care in Turkey Presentations This presentation was delivered at a workshop organised by MENARAH in collaboration with the American University in Cairo in April 2019. The workshop aimed to bring to the forefront of policy debate the scale and implications of population ageing in Continue Reading The Challenges and Opportunities of Population Ageing in the MENA Region Learning from the International Experience, Presentations, Videos In this knowledge-exchange event, Professor Hussein provided an analysis of the changing demographics in the region and associated policy challenges. Highlighting the need to develop a policy response that capitalises on the social and cultural norms within the region. The Continue Reading Older people’s health and care needs in the Middle East Presentations There is evidence of a significant burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among older people in the MENA region. Furthermore, the number of older people with NCDs in the region is expected to reach 1.3 million in 2030, nearly 50% higher Continue Reading

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