On World Alzheimer’s Day, MoSD Emphasizes the Importance of Expanding Specialized Care for Older Persons and Supporting Their Families
Ramallah – On the occasion of World Alzheimer’s Day, observed on 21 September, the Ministry of Social Development emphasized that protecting older persons requires an integrated care system that goes beyond the health dimension to include social protection, residential, home-based and day-care services, psychosocial support, assistive devices and equipment, and support for families, caregivers, and service providers, particularly as needs associated with ageing, chronic diseases, and Alzheimer’s disease continue to increase.
The observance of World Alzheimer’s Day aims to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease, reduce stigma and discrimination, support families and caregivers, and promote early detection and access to health, social, psychological, and legal care services, thereby contributing to improving the quality of life of older persons and enhancing their independence and dignity.
The Ministry explained that Alzheimer’s disease presents increasing challenges for older persons and their families, as it may be accompanied by memory decline, reduced ability to carry out daily activities, and the need for continuous follow-up and a safe environment. It stressed that preserving the dignity and independence of older persons to the greatest extent possible is a fundamental principle of social care and protection policies.
On this occasion, the Ministry also emphasized the importance of ensuring effective legal protection for persons living with Alzheimer’s disease, particularly in cases where their ability to manage their affairs or express their wishes has declined. The Ministry called for strengthening legislation and legal mechanisms that safeguard their rights, dignity, finances, and property, and regulate guardianship or supported decision-making procedures in accordance with the law and under the supervision of the competent authorities.
The Ministry further stressed that any exploitation, abuse, appropriation, or dissipation of the money or property of a person living with Alzheimer’s disease, or any disposal of such assets without legal authorization, must entail legal accountability and the necessary judicial action against those responsible, regardless of their status or degree of kinship. This is essential to protecting the rights, dignity, interests, and financial rights of persons living with Alzheimer’s disease.
As part of its interventions, the Ministry operates Beit Al-Ajdad in Jericho, the only government residential care center for older persons in Palestine, providing comprehensive and free residential care to 100 older women and men annually from all governorates. The Ministry also purchases residential care services for 150 older persons from five institutions: Al-Wafa Association in Salfit, the Palestine Red Crescent Society in Nablus, Dar Al-Kawthar Association in Anabta, Beit Al-Ajdad Association in Deir Al-Ghusun, and the Elderly Home Association in Jenin.
In addition, 12 specialized social workers follow up on the conditions of older persons residing in residential and day-care institutions and those living outside such facilities. In partnership with relevant institutions, the Ministry provides day-care services to 800 older persons annually, home-based care to 350 older persons, psychosocial support to 300 older persons, individual and group counselling to 600 older persons, medical and assistive devices to 350 older persons, medicines and medical consumables to 900 older persons annually, and health, social, and legal awareness and education activities to 400 older persons. The Ministry also provides financial allowances and health insurance to 65,000 older persons.
The Ministry is also working to expand services for older persons by strengthening and broadening home-based and day-care services and establishing day clubs in cooperation with local authorities. These efforts aim to reduce social isolation, promote active ageing, strengthen communication and solidarity between generations, benefit from the experience and knowledge of older persons, and maintain their connection with their families and communities. The Ministry also continues to review and develop the national framework for older persons in line with demographic and social changes and the evolving needs of this group.
As part of developing national policies and legislation, the Ministry of Social Development has begun updating the National Strategy for Older Persons for 2027–2029, in cooperation with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and all relevant partners. Work will also soon begin on reviewing and developing the draft law on older persons, with financial and technical support from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and in cooperation with partners, with the aim of adopting a modern Palestinian law that provides a protective and supportive environment for the rights of older persons.
The Ministry is also strengthening the development of a national database on older persons through the Older Persons Form within the National Social Registry, which will provide more accurate data on their circumstances and needs. This will support the development of policies, improve the targeting of services and assistance in a more efficient and equitable manner, and strengthen evidence-based decision-making, particularly amid the continued hardship faced by older persons in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
The Ministry emphasized the important role played by universities, scientific research centers, and institutions and associations working with older persons in developing research, knowledge, and services, building the capacities of professionals, and drawing on successful Arab and international experiences in working with older persons living with Alzheimer’s disease and adapting those experiences to the Palestinian context.
The Ministry is also working to strengthen partnerships with the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization, and medical faculties at Palestinian universities to prepare specialized medical professionals to work with Alzheimer’s cases in the fields of geriatric medicine, palliative care, and geriatric nursing.
Regarding the establishment of day clubs for older persons in towns and villages, the Ministry recently agreed with the Ministry of Local Government to begin work on five day clubs as an initial pilot phase in Beit Liqya, Beit Anan, Halhul, Tammun, and Battir. To date, only five local government directorates have submitted responses to their Ministry on this matter.
The Ministry of Social Development and the Ministry of Local Government will soon conduct a visit to the Beit Liqya Day Club to follow up on the provision of its needs through the General Directorate of Projects at the Ministry of Local Government and to proceed with its opening and operation. The Ministry’s General Directorate for Older Persons has already provided furniture and other needs for the Beit Liqya club in cooperation with the Juzoor for Health and Social Development Foundation.
In the Gaza Strip, these needs are even more acute due to repeated displacement, overcrowding, difficulties in accessing medicines, food, water, and health services, and the loss of family and community care networks. Recent humanitarian reports continue to indicate displacement and restrictions on access to essential services, while older persons with disabilities and those with health and rehabilitation needs face severe shortages of supplies, assistive devices, and specialized services.
The Ministry continues to follow up on the situation of older persons in Gaza, identify their needs, and cooperate with national and international partners to provide available assistance and essential supplies.
The Ministry stressed that older persons, particularly those living alone or with chronic diseases or cognitive conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, are at greater risk of neglect and disruption in access to medication, nutrition, and psychological follow-up during displacement and crises. This requires giving them priority within the humanitarian response, strengthening referral systems and home- and community-based care, and supporting families that bear responsibility for their care.
The Ministry of Social Development called on local and international partners and donors to expand investment in specialized care for older persons, home-based and day-care services, psychosocial support, caregiver training, medicines, and assistive devices, as well as to ensure that the needs of older persons in the Gaza Strip are adequately addressed.
The Ministry affirmed that caring for older persons is not a matter of charity, but a right linked to dignity, independence, protection, and participation in society, in accordance with the principles of human rights, international law, and international humanitarian law.
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MoSD: Protecting & Empowering Women Is Essential to Protecting Families and Strengthening Community Resilience
2.74 Million Women in Palestine; Ministry Prioritizes the Most Vulnerable Women and Female-Headed Households in Protection and Empowerment ProgrammesRamallah – On the occasion of Palestinian Women’s National Day, the Ministry of Social Development affirmed that protecting and empowering women constitute a fundamental pillar of the social protection system. The Ministry stressed that support for women should not be limited to responding to urgent needs, but should extend to strengthening their ability to make decisions, access services, and achieve greater independence and stability for themselves and their families. According to the latest data from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), women account for approximately 49% of Palestine’s population, with 2.74 million women at the end of 2025, including approximately 1.69 million in the West Bank and 1.06 million in the Gaza Strip. These figures reflect women’s presence across all segments of society and their central role within families and in social and economic life. The Ministry stressed that the current realities facing Palestinian women are directly affected by worsening poverty, displacement, loss of income and housing, and increasing care and household responsibilities, particularly among women who have assumed full or partial responsibility for supporting their families. In the Gaza Strip, the war, displacement, and loss of family breadwinners have significantly changed women’s roles within households. According to PCBS data, the proportion of female-headed households increased from approximately 12% before the war to nearly 18% during September and October 2025, while 22,057 women lost their husbands, significantly increasing the care, financial, and protection responsibilities borne by thousands of women. The Ministry emphasized that these realities require a broader understanding of women’s needs as multiple and interconnected, encompassing protection from violence, psychosocial support, cash and food assistance, access to health and social services, and economic empowerment opportunities that help women regain greater independence and stability. It added that women who support their families require interventions that go beyond temporary assistance by linking protection with empowerment programmes that take into account household circumstances and needs and help women establish sustainable sources of income whenever conditions allow, while maintaining social safety nets during crises and emergencies. In the West Bank, including Jerusalem, women also face increasing pressures associated with poverty, declining incomes, movement restrictions, risks of losing their homes, difficulties accessing certain services, and care responsibilities within the family. These conditions require continued outreach to the most vulnerable women and strengthened protection and follow-up services. The Ministry affirmed that women with disabilities face additional challenges in accessing services, information, protection, and empowerment opportunities, requiring the provision of reasonable accommodations and the removal of barriers that may prevent them from exercising their rights and accessing services. The Ministry also stressed the priority of protecting women and girls from all forms of violence and strengthening case management, psychosocial support, referral, and specialized services, while ensuring privacy, safety, and continued follow-up according to the needs of each case. The Ministry noted that women’s caregiving responsibilities within the family are a significant aspect of their social reality, as many women care for children, older persons, persons with disabilities, and people with health conditions, alongside managing households and securing their daily needs. It emphasized that developing childcare, community-based care, and home-care services not only benefits those who require care but also provides direct support to women and caregivers and helps reduce some of the burdens borne by families. The Ministry stressed the importance of giving particular priority to women facing the greatest vulnerability, including female heads of households, displaced women, women with disabilities, women living in poverty, women in rural and marginalized areas, and women affected by violence or the loss of housing or income. It affirmed that, from a social protection perspective, economic empowerment does not simply mean providing a project or a temporary opportunity. Rather, it means helping women and their families gradually reduce dependence on assistance, strengthen their ability to withstand shocks, and achieve greater economic security. The Ministry of Social Development added that Palestinian Women’s National Day is an occasion to reaffirm that women’s needs must be integrated into the design of social protection programmes and humanitarian responses, and that interventions should be based on women’s actual circumstances and the realities of the families in which they live, rather than adopting a uniform approach that does not account for differences among groups and geographic areas. The Ministry reaffirmed its continued cooperation with national and international institutions and partners to develop protection, care, empowerment, and psychosocial support programmes, strengthen outreach to women most in need, and link different social services within an integrated pathway that responds to the needs of women and their families. The Ministry concluded by affirming that protecting and empowering Palestinian women means protecting families and strengthening their ability to withstand crises, and that building a fair and inclusive social protection system cannot be achieved without ensuring that women can access their rights, services, and opportunities with dignity and equity.
MoSD: Food Availability Is Not Enough If Families Cannot Access It or Afford Their Needs
1.4 Million People in Gaza Face Crisis or Worse Levels of Acute Food Insecurity, Including 212,000 in EmergencyRamallah – On the occasion of World Food Day, observed on 16 October, the Ministry of Social Development affirmed that the right to food is not fulfilled merely by the availability of commodities in markets or the entry of humanitarian assistance into the Gaza Strip. Rather, it requires families to have regular access to sufficient, diverse, safe, and nutritious food in a manner that protects health and dignity and prevents further deterioration in nutritional conditions. World Food Day 2026 is being observed under the theme “Innovate Today. Nourish Tomorrow.” The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) emphasizes that access to sufficient, diverse, and safe food requires innovative and inclusive solutions that protect food systems and ensure their sustainability for all. In the Gaza Strip, the latest projections from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) indicate that more than 1.4 million people, approximately 67% of the population, are projected to face Crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity between July and December 2026, including approximately 212,000 people in Emergency. The Ministry stressed that these figures demonstrate that the food crisis is no longer linked solely to food availability, but also to weakened purchasing power, the collapse of income sources, rising prices, irregular assistance, and families’ declining ability to compensate for shortages through markets. The IPC analysis also confirms that declining purchasing power, high commodity prices, and the inconsistent entry of humanitarian assistance and commercial goods continue to restrict people’s access to essential needs, while the recovery of local production and livelihoods remains limited. The Ministry explained that a family without income cannot fully benefit from food being available in the market, stressing that food security should be measured by the extent to which households can regularly afford their needs, rather than solely by the quantities of goods entering the Gaza Strip. The Ministry added that food quality and dietary diversity are also fundamental aspects of the crisis. Meeting minimum caloric requirements alone is insufficient if diets lack protein, vegetables, fruits, and essential nutrients, particularly for children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, older persons, and people with health conditions. The Ministry emphasized the importance of diversifying response mechanisms to include food assistance, bread and meals, cash assistance, specialized nutrition interventions, and support for local markets, livelihoods, and food production whenever conditions allow. It also stressed the importance of cash assistance in situations where goods are available in markets, as it enables families to determine their own priorities and purchase the food they actually need, rather than relying entirely on a single food item or a predetermined assistance package. The Ministry affirmed that food interventions must also take into account the needs of the most vulnerable groups, particularly children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, older persons, persons with disabilities, and people with health conditions who may require specialized food or food parcels adapted to their health needs. The Ministry noted that sustainably addressing the crisis also requires restoring sources of income, employment opportunities, and local production, as long-term dependence on humanitarian assistance cannot substitute for an economy capable of enabling families to meet their own needs. The Ministry of Social Development reaffirmed its continued efforts to monitor families’ needs and coordinate with international organizations and partners to direct resources toward the most vulnerable groups and link food interventions with the social protection system and household needs. The Ministry concluded by emphasizing that the right to food is not fulfilled when food merely reaches the border, warehouse, or market, but when families are able to put sufficient and diverse food on their tables in a manner that preserves their dignity. It stressed the need to continue assistance while simultaneously strengthening purchasing power and restoring livelihoods.
