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Enhancing Neurodegeneration Awareness and Care for the Elderly in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, and Qatar: Challenges, Policy Gaps, and Future Directions
Reddy KS, Jhansi K, Khan MS, Robinson B, Tyagi K, Khurana S.. Preprints.org, 2026-10-13
Topic: Health services, long-term care and technology
GCC countries are experiencing a rapid demographic transition. Life expectancy at birth has increased to between 76-80 years, and the elderly population is expected to double by 2050. This demographic transition is accompanied by a growing burden of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease, placing increasing demands on health and social care systems. This study examines three interconnected dimensions of the crisis: awareness of neurodegeneration among older people, the infrastructure and human capacity of care systems and the existing gaps that media, technology and community institutions might be able to bridge. Studies show that cognitive decline is frequently viewed as a natural consequence of aging rather than as a medical disorder that requires diagnosis and treatment. Limited health literacy, culturally constructed perceptions of health and illness, and use of informal support mechanisms, including family, religious, and community elders, could all be factors that influence the decision to seek health care. Stigma, limited awareness, and concerns about seeking institutional care may contribute to delays in diagnosis and treatment. On the care side, where families provide a substantial proportion of support for older adults, the region faces shortages of specialized professionals, including neurologists and geriatricians. Available care models are often fragmented and insufficiently integrated, while formal caregiver training and support remain limited in many settings, contributing to the burden on families. These results suggest that there may be room to enhance screening, referrals, and health literacy through increased coverage by mainstream media, collaborations with religious and community organizations, and broader implementation of telemedicine. Drawing on selected international examples from Japan, Sweden, Australia, and the United Kingdom, the paper proposes a multi-part policy framework comprising a national awareness campaign, strengthening of the geriatric healthcare workforce, a care provider certificate program, and digital health. The paper underlines the need for culturally appropriate, collaborative action to build more integrated and person-centered neurodegenerative care systems throughout the GCC.
Key findings
- These results suggest that there may be room to enhance screening, referrals, and health literacy through increased coverage by mainstream media, collaborations with religious and community organizations, and broader implementation of telemedicine.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 16/100
Preprint — not yet peer-reviewed. It scored 21 on the same rubric, but non-peer-reviewed sources are capped at 16, so it shows as 16. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multi-centre collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 13 of the 62 points we could judge it on, which is 21 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 2 / 10 | Tier 4 — not a peer-reviewed journal (Preprints.org) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | Not a journal article, so the journal's record does not count |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 4 / 10 | Preprint — not yet peer-reviewed. Hosted on a preprint server. |
| How recent | 5 / 5 | 2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 13 / 62 | Scored on 12 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 13 of the 62 points we could judge it on is 21 out of 100. |
| Total | 21 / 100 | Capped to 16 because this is not a peer-reviewed article. |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Reddy, K. S., Jhansi, K., Khan, M. S., Robinson, B., Tyagi, K., & Khurana, S. (2026). Enhancing Neurodegeneration Awareness and Care for the Elderly in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, and Qatar: Challenges, Policy Gaps, and Future Directions. Preprints.org. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202610.1158.v1
Vancouver
Reddy KS, Jhansi K, Khan MS, Robinson B, Tyagi K, Khurana S. Enhancing Neurodegeneration Awareness and Care for the Elderly in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, and Qatar: Challenges, Policy Gaps, and Future Directions. Preprints.org. 2026. doi:10.20944/preprints202610.1158.v1.
BibTeX
@article{reddy2026-fbf5aa8b,
author = {Reddy, K. S. and Jhansi, K. and Khan, M. S. and Robinson, B. and Tyagi, K. and Khurana, S.},
title = {{Enhancing Neurodegeneration Awareness and Care for the Elderly in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, and Qatar: Challenges, Policy Gaps, and Future Directions}},
journal = {Preprints.org},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.20944/preprints202610.1158.v1},
url = {https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202610.1158.v1}
}
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