The College of Applied Medical Sciences, represented by Department of Physiotherapy, organized an awareness program on the care of elderly people by visiting the Comprehensive Rehabilitation Center in Makkah and activating the role of Umm Al-Qura University represented in the community services activities at the College of Applied Medical Sciences.

Fourth-year students from the Department of Physiotherapy, accompanied by Dr. Ashraf Abdul-`Al Muhammad and Dr. Jihan Samir Musa, visited the Comprehensive Rehabilitation Center in Makkah on Wednesday, 24 Jumada Al-Awwal, 1440 A.H., and held an awareness-raising lecture entitled "If they attain old age, be dutiful to them."

The delegation was received by the Director of the Comprehensive Rehabilitation Center, Mr. Musa Al-Maliki, the Director of Public Relations, Mr. Muhammad Assiri, the center's secretary, and a number of center's specialists. The director of the center delivered a welcome speech in which he explained the various health, educational, and recreational services provided to the residents and to those receiving services in their own homes, the majority of whom are older people. He said the accommodation capacity of the center is 70 persons in the male section and 80 persons in the female section.

The delegation toured the center, and the male and female students held separate awareness seminars on the problems faced by older people and the different ways to evaluate these problems and provide the proper treatment for them. They focused on the role of the physiotherapy in reducing these problems and reducing their aggravation, in addition to avoiding the complications associated with aging.

The awareness campaign included several health guidelines about the role of physiotherapy via video presentations during the seminar and through the distribution of booklets, posters, and brochures.

The visit included physiotherapy consultations with the residents of the center. The visit was enjoyed by everyone, particularly during the significant interactions between the residents and the visiting delegation.

The visit was praised by the center staff in both its male and female sections. The visit had a positive impact, which was clearly evident in the interactions of the residents and the visitors to the center, and also its workers.

The supervisor of the female section of the Comprehensive Rehabilitation Center, Ms. Fardous Hamad Al-Fareeh, stressed the importance of the visit and highlighted the importance of physiotherapy in the center. The rehabilitation team in the male section, led by specialists Mr. Muhammad Al-Jarad and Raad Esmat, pointed out the importance of the repetition of such awareness programs and the necessity of increasing the cooperation between the university and the center.