AAU Organizes Voluntary Field Visits to Elderly Care Homes

The Women’s Health Center at the Faculty of Nursing at AAU, in collaboration with the Hearing and Speech Center led by Dr. Fadi Al-Siyouti, organized a series of field visits to various elderly care homes. These visits aimed to provide comprehensive and innovative health services, conducting necessary examinations to identify age-related health issues. The visits included the following elderly care homes: • Darat Shama Association for the Elderly in Shafa Badran • Winter Valley Elderly Center in Al-Bayader • Al-Diyafa Elderly Home in Al-Juwaideh Students from the Faculty of Nursing participated in this initiative, including Saudi students affiliated with the Saudi Cultural Mission, as part of a collaborative agreement between the Women’s Health Center and the Mission. Graduate students specializing in Audiology and Speech Therapy from the Faculty of Allied Medical Sciences' Hearing and Speech Center also contributed by performing assessments using state-of-the-art equipment, considered among the most advanced and precise in the region. These evaluations focused on hearing and speech, prioritizing cases requiring further follow-up. For elderly individuals needing additional care, arrangements were made to refer them to the university's Hearing and Speech Center. Coordination between care homes and the center ensures optimal therapeutic services. Under the guidance of Dr. Mona Al-Nsour, the Women’s Health Center trained nursing students to administer the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (ACE), which evaluates cognitive abilities and detects potential cognitive decline among the elderly. Pharmacist Hanin Al-Momani supervised the scientific and precise preparation of the test. The successful implementation of the test during the visits helped identify the health and psychological needs of this group. At the end of the visits, Ms. Shireen Al-Momani, a representative from the Ministry of Social Development, expressed her profound appreciation for AAU, represented by the Women’s Health and Hearing and Speech Centers, for their outstanding organization of such community health initiatives. She emphasized that these efforts significantly enhance the quality of life for the elderly, promote social solidarity, and set an exemplary model for collaboration between academic institutions and the community in providing specialized services that meet the needs of different societal groups.