The Center of Empowerment and Elderly Care (Ehsan), which operates under the umbrella of Qatar Social Work Foundation (QSW), has announced launching the (Consult Me) service, which is a support telephone line to provide social and psychological counselling for the elderly.

The Executive Director of “Ehsan” Mubarak bin Abdulaziz Al Khalifa, said that the center, especially under the current circumstances, seeks to continue providing high-quality services to the elderly in Qatar with the aim of helping to prevent the threat of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

He explained that the aim of the service is to provide counseling and social and psychological support services to lift the morale of the elderly and their families by receiving their calls on the designated phone numbers in both Arabic and English, to answer their inquiries and direct them to the specialized government hotlines that suit their health condition in addition to opening a communication channel with the elderly in the local community and introduce them to the “Ehsan” service package.

He added that the phone calls would be answered by social and psychological specialists from the center, explaining that the specialized team provide social or psychological counseling and take actions in a timely manner or directs the caller to the competent authority, stressing maintaining the privacy and confidentiality of the call because the main goal is to spread reassurance and lift the morale of the elderly and their families.

Mubarak bin Abdulaziz Al Khalifa also stressed that the team receive its information from government approved sources to avoid rumors and misinformation, that any inaccurate information regarding the COVID-19 might confuse the elderly and increase their anxiety.

“We are very careful about not discussing any matters that require diagnosis or medical and psychological treatment, and we refer these matters to the medical authorities of the Ministry of Public Health,” he said. Al Khalifa expressed the importance of promoting this service so that the largest number of citizens and residents of the elderly and their families can benefit from it.

The numbers that were allocated to provide the service are 66722026, 66724929 and 66713878, adding that the center provided a number for English speakers which is 66893755.

Source : The Peninsula

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