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29 March 2024

Wish Fulfilled: 10 UAE elders get a chopper ride

Published
By Staff
The Ministry of Interior (MoI) fulfilled the wishes of 10 seniors from the social care home at Dibba Al Hisn, taking them for a trip aboard a helicopter in the skies of the Central and the Eastern regions: Dibba Al Hisn, Khor Fakkan, Kalba, and Fujairah. 
 
This initiative coincides with the country’s celebrations of the International Day of Older Persons and follows the directives of the police leadership to empower social interaction and partnership between MoI entities, society members, and sectors. It also demonstrates the role of the police in taking care of the different community segments through participation and attendance at different events. 
 
The Air Wing Section in Sharjah welcomed the older people to the helicopter at 9:30 am. The seniors were very happy to take the trip, and praised the urban and architectural developments that have been taking place throughout the entire United Arab Emirates. 
 
The trip, which was divided into four, 15-minute flights, falls under the existing partnership between the Air Wing Department and the Social Services Department, reflects the cooperation between both parties and across all of the societal institutions and sectors. 
 
The world celebrates the International Day of Older Persons 2014 on Wednesday under the slogan “Leaving No One Behind: Promoting a Society for All”, which is based on supporting the involvement of the age group that is projected to represent 20% of society by 2030. 
 
It is expected that the population of elderly people, aged 60 years and above, will reach nearly 1.4 billion by 2030. The International Day of Older Persons effectively benefits society by highlighting the stories and experiences of success that older people have experienced, which is something that everyone can learn from. 
 
On 14 Dec., 1990 the United Nations General Assembly voted to establish 1 Oct., as the International Day of Older Persons as recorded in Resolution 45/106. Prior to that, the Vienna International Plan of Action on Aging was adopted by the first World Assembly on Aging in 1982, which was later approved by the United Nations General Assembly. 
 
On 16 Dec., 1991, the United Nations General Assembly’s Resolution 46/91 adopted the United Nations Principles for Older Persons. In 2002, the Second World Assembly on Ageing adopted the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing to handle aging-related opportunities and challenges in the 21st-century and to promote community development in every age category.