Home Care

Home care in Lebanon is still in development. Two private agencies have been established in the late nineties catering their services for those in need within the home environment. In 2008, a special unit for palliative care was established in one leading long-term institution in the capital city, Beirut, to provide care to the terminally-ill patient. It is believed that this unit has been flooded with requests and is over-crowded. Another unit has been established in 2009 in Tripoli. Two palliative care NGOs that provide home hospice services have recently been established.

Access to health care and health care utilization are central issues for older adults. Findings from the National Health Expenditures and Utilization Survey, conducted by the Ministry of Public Health in Lebanon in collaboration with the World Health Organization and the World Bank in 1999, indicate that, whereas older adults constitute less than 10 per cent of the population, they consume over 60 per cent of the health care resources. Around half of the older populations have no insurance coverage. These include, in the majority, the self-employed working in their own small private enterprises, casual laborers, and women working in the informal sector. In these cases, the Ministry of Public Health acts as the as the ‘social safety net’ and the insurer of the ‘last resort’.

In the early 1990s and following Lebanon’s civil strife, the Ministry introduced the ‘Chronic Disease Medicine Program’ (CDMP) to assist low income households in securing medications. This program, financed by the Ministry of Health public funds is administered by an NGO utilizing, for the distribution of the medicines all across the country, around 440 outlets and clinics owned by the public sector and managed by the civil society. Although the program is not restricted to the older population, it is widely acknowledged that most (about 60%) of the beneficiaries belong to the older age brackets.

For more information, you may contact

Ms. Rasha Hamra, PharmD, MPH; Director of Public Relations & Health Education Departments

Tel: + 961-1-615711
Email: rashahamra@yahoo.com
Site: http://www.moph.gov.lb/pages/home.aspx

Issues related to the older population rest primarily with two ministries: the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Public Health. In 1999, following the recommendations of the first International Conference on Ageing in Vienna, a National Commission on Ageing was established as an advisory or consultative body to the Minister of Social Affairs and under his/her chairmanship. The Commission brings together policy makers from most ministries that have bearing on issues related to the old, as well as representatives from civil society, associations that provide service to the old, academia and, lately, the private sector. Several project-laws have been prepared and submitted for legislation. These include plans for poverty reduction, pension schemes, elderly clubs as well as health coverage. The plan also includes activities to build partnerships with various sectors caring for the older people and increase awareness on their rights in Lebanon.

More recently, Lebanon has proposed a ‘Social Plan of Action’ that comprises all vulnerable segments of the population including older adults. This plan aims at decreasing poverty and works towards achieving the millennium development goals (MDGs). The plan involves the provision of services and monetary assistance for families that are taken care of by older women and suggests offering 600 USD per year for older adults with no family support (total of 8500 persons to be targeted per year).

Lebanon has also been keen on implementing the recommendations of the Madrid International Plan (2002) and other UN declarations and has participated in drafting the Arab Plan for the Oder Population (2002-2012). October 1st has been declared officially as the ‘Day of the Older Population’. June 15th celebrates the prevention of elder abuse (INPEA); A ‘Day of the Grand Parents’ has also been mandated (last Sunday in June), and September 25th celebrates the Arab Day for older adults. Proposals have been tabled to waive municipal fees on utilities as well as admission fees to touristic sites. A project law to introduce an ‘Older Citizen’ card is being prepared.

For more information, you may contact

Ms. Dia Saleh, Head of Family Department and member of National Committee of Elderly

Tel: +961-1- 612849
Email: dsaleh@socialaffairs.gov.lb
Site: http://www.socialaffairs.gov.lb/kibar.aspx

Nursing homes (NHs) and NGOs in Lebanon grew in prominence and assumed a prominent role in caring for the older population during the years of war to fill the vacuum caused by the weakened role of the state. A recent study conducted by the Ministry of Social Affairs in Lebanon in 2009 identified a total of 160 institutions that provide various forms and levels of support to the old. These institutions are distributed in all the five mohafazats across the country, but are heavily concentrated in urban areas. Of these, 49 provide long-term in-patient care for around 4,181 residents. The majority of these institutions (97 per cent) are privately run and the rest are semi-private. They are managed by civil society organizations with support from the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Public Health. Such subsidies, however, cover only a very small proportion of the total cost for each NH resident. Owing to the prevailing care giving role of family members in Lebanon, the proportion of institutionalized older people remains low. It is estimated that less than 1 per cent of older people in Lebanon are institutionalized,

A full-list of the NHs, Centers and NGOs and services provided can be obtained from the Ministry of Social Affairs.

Ms. Dia Saleh, Head of Family Department and member of National Committee of Elderly

Tel: +961-1- 612849
Email: dsaleh@socialaffairs.gov.lb
Site: http://www.socialaffairs.gov.lb/docs/guide.pdf

Today, older people are living longer and healthier than their parents, and many do not want to spend their last decades in inactivity. They want to remain intellectually challenged, socially connected and useful in their communities. The AUB University for Seniors was established to address the needs and aspirations of a growing number of older adults in Beirut by offering educational and cultural opportunities in a sociable environment. Three core principles underline the program: peer-learning, community-building, and intergenerational connections. Peer-learning means that seniors learn from one another; study group leaders and lecturers are all volunteers. Community-building: the University for Seniors will be a membership organization to reinforce the idea that one is joining a group rather than paying for one-off activities. It will be member-run through elected officers and committees. Intergenerational connections: The program will connect seniors to the younger generation through academic and extra-curricular activities with students.

The University for Seniors is currently in an experimental early phase. It has offered such courses as Architectural History of Beirut, Serenades, Making Friends with Computers, Classical Music Appreciation, Writing the Oral History of Ras Beirut, the Art of Oriental Carpets and Healthy Aging. It will be launched formally in 2012.

For more information, you may contact