Every society in the world has its own types of scales of birth rates and death rates.

Where on one end the UAE has seen immense growth and This paper is a call of the youth of the country to be more conscious towards the need of not only acknowledging the fact that the UAE has a large aging population that needs support and help since they are left without support, but also to the fact that maintaining the lives of these people is a moral obligation since these people are our predecessors and have seen a tough life and probably did not have a standard of living as we do. In 2010, there were nearly 40,000 people over the age of 60. The Ministry of Health expects that number to increase by 20per cent by 2020. At the same time, more women are working outside of the home, meaning that the cultural paradigm of relatives caring for their elders is shifting (The National). Experts say that the UAE will need to expand the country's medical infrastructure and home-care options, plus attract more trained specialized geriatric doctors and nurses (The National). Elder care in this country is an small form of charity work that some people, with little support form the government, have been able to establish. Where on one end people of the UAE are experiencing immense growth which is exponential, in every sphere of life, these people, who come from a generation that has seen it all, are being left ignored and denied of love and care of their own. A shift in major trend of society is noted as the main cause for the increasing number of people in elder homes. This trend is noted to be the growth in women liberation, the effect of media and globalisation and the increase in materialism. Women in the UAE, have experienced growth in many forms as well in the past two decades. The government has played a major role in the growth and development of women from all walks of life in the country. Until the federation happened, not many women had the privaledge to gain a basic education let alone higher education. However, with the continuous

support of the government and the declaration of the vision of the rulers of the country, women have not only experienced greater support from their parents and families to study but also to work. Women have become more independent and choose to complete at least graduate level of study before they get married. This increase in the womans need to study and work has led to a shift in the trend of family structure in the country now as well. Families earlier were large joint families with the elders being an integral part of the family and holding all decisive power even if they were not earning and were retired. However, with having both the man and the women of the house now working, people choose to live in nuclear families after marriage rather than take the responsibility in the joint family, as the women do not have the time to spend at home and care for the extended members of the family. The media of the west and globalisation also have a very strong effect on movement away from norms of society and national culture. The younger generation watches many channels and movies that constantly show nuclear family structures and show old members of the family as added, not required members. This, although maybe not stated, has had a subconscious effect on the mentality of the people who refuse to take care of older members of the family and prefer to have them taken care of by others and have them living in old age homes. The UAE, having seen a great influx of investment and growth has now become one of the largest hubs of the region for business. Many large multinational chains are present in the market, with their offerings for the consumers and the luxury centric target market in the region. Adversely though, yet, this presence of internationals brands has created a high level of consumerism in the people of the country. This has obviously led to a need for greater income in order to acquire the goods and services that would satisfy the consumerist want of

the people, leaving little room for extra expenses such as medical care to be given to elders and additional hours to be spent with them to provide care. All of the above reason have led to a large gap in the country that has left distance between that section of the society that needs the care and love of their own the most and those who can give them that care. It is estimated that by 2020, only Dubai will have over 20,000 people in the age group of 60+, while it is also estimated that only 32 people will be supporting an old aged person in their own care by 2020, in Dubai (DHA 2011). That leaves a surplus of above 19,900 people, who will be taking refuge in old age homes and day cares for old people, possibly also meeting a quiet unnoticed death there. The question is not whether and how this can be stopped. The question is why. Why is it that our society has become so influenced by ways that are not our own, to have forgotten that these are the people who experienced the UAE when it was not as comfortable and luxurious as today, and yet they were able to bring us up in a way that we can hold our head up high and match the step of the world. The question is also, why we, when we have the ability to, are not willing to care for those who are the sole reason for our presence in this world. The most important question though, and my closing though on this paper is, how do we expect to counter attack the situation when, one day, a few years from now, we will be left at the door of a care facility and forgotten about. Sources Sibai, A. M., & Yamout, R. (2012). Family-Based Old-Age Care in Arab Countries: Between Tradition and Modernity. Population Dynamics in Muslim Countries, 63-76. Aw, T. C. (2010). Global public health and the United Arab Emirates. Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health, 22(3 suppl), 19S-24S. Elder Care Homes A special Visit. 12 December, 2012. The National Newspaper, Dubai.