Under the generous patronage of His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Chairman of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Sharjah, Sheikh Salem bin Abdulrahman Al Qasimi, Chairman of His Highness the Ruler's Office, inaugurated the eighth forum for the elderly, which is held under the slogan “Empowerment And the effective participation of the elderly, "organized by the Department of Social Services in Sharjah. The forum aims to exchange experiences with international bodies regarding empowerment initiatives and programs that achieve the effective participation of the elderly, and to learn about the latest global experiences by identifying the requirements for developing social policies that are achieved to improve quality services in the field of mental health and social integration. The inauguration ceremony began with the national peace and recitation of verses from the Holy Quran, after which His Excellency Dr. Fatima Muhammad Al Balushi, former Minister of Social Development in the Kingdom of Bahrain received a speech in which she valued the efforts of the Emirate of Sharjah in serving and caring for the elderly and its tireless endeavor to provide the appropriate environment for a better life for them, through Realizing the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, in caring for this important group in society, making the Emirate of Sharjah the first Arab city to obtain membership in the Global Network of Age-sensitive Cities Al Balushi indicated that the world is witnessing an increase in the number of elderly, which requires governments to make efforts to provide appropriate health and social care for the elderly. She explained that there are a number of challenges that countries face in order to care for the elderly, including: indicators of quality of life for the elderly and the health and psychological care they provide, in addition to economic and social challenges. Al-Balushi concluded by providing a number of recommendations to empower the elderly and provide them with the best health and social services and care. The Eighth Forum for Seniors includes 4 sessions: The first session sheds light on international experiences in upgrading elderly services and creating empowerment and integration, while the second session discusses the requirements for developing social policies for institutions concerned with the elderly, and the third session reviews experiences of improving psychological services for the elderly, and deals with The fourth session “Using Technology and Media to Support Opportunities for Cultural and Social Empowerment. The inauguration was attended by Sheikh Muhammad bin Humaid Al Qasimi, Head of the Statistics and Community Development Department, HE Khamis bin Salem Al Suwaidi, Head of the Department of Suburbs and Villages Affairs, HE Afaf Ibrahim Al Marri, Head of the Social Services Department in Sharjah, and His Excellency Dr. Saeed Musabah Al Kaabi, Chairman of the Sharjah Education Council, HE Khalid bin Butti Al Hajri, Director General of the University City, Sharjah.