Abstract
With the improved health care, the percentage of elderly in the Middle East is expected to increase as the youthful masses work their way up the population pyramid. According to the WHO’s Department of Aging 2000 report, most Middle Eastern countries will be entering the window of opportunity during this decade, and the window is expected to last until midcentury. It is during this lucrative period that the groundwork for future geriatric services should be firmly established and nurtured. Therefore, this cross sectional study aims to assess the health needs of the elderly in order to deliver solid data for providing future geriatric services that can improve the quality of life. Information was gathered from several facilities in Dubai, UAE. People who lived in the UAE and were 65 years old or above were included. Overall, the total elderly population in Dubai is estimated to be 32,000 people. With a margin of error of 5% and a confidence level of 90%, the recommended sample size turned out to be 269 people. Therefore, 300 individuals were included. The interRAI organization’s community health assessment instrument (interRAI CHA) was used as a tool for gathering information. After filling in all the questionnaires, the data was entered into the SPSS Statistics program for analysis. The results obtained delineated which diseases need our support and improved prevention or management. By filling the gaps in elderly health care and by recognizing which aspects of care need our attention, we can ensure a better quality of life.