Four books by Dr Salem Al Nuaimi on senior citizens’ rights, daily life and family stories. The collection includes a legal study, a social book for families and stories to read across generations. A story in our home is an illustrated book for children and adults, in Arabic and English.
A legal and human reading of how dignity, autonomy, care and participation are protected, across UAE legislation, Islamic Shariah and international agreements.
Twelve chapters on the lives of senior citizens: memory, family, services, health, housing, heritage and giving, on the way to a society for all ages.
A book to read together: grandparents and grandchildren turn its pages story by story, from the old house and the neighbourhood to the sea, the palm groves and the majlis.
Grandfather Abdullah's stories with his grandchildren
Twenty illustrated stories bring Grandfather Abdullah, Grandmother Awsha and the children together. Through everyday moments at home, they listen to one another and share memories. A book for children and adults to read together.
By Dr Salem Abdullah Al Nuaimi
Forthcoming in Arabic and English. Selected book pages are available to read.
Guarantees of Senior Citizens’ Rights in the United Arab Emirates examines protection through UAE law, Islamic law and international agreements, analysing legislation and penalties relating to violations of these rights.
It explores the care and protection provided by public institutions and charities, discusses practical challenges and proposed solutions, and presents findings and recommendations to preserve dignity and recognise senior citizens’ place in society.
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Extracted from the approved updated manuscript: title, copyright, dedication, acknowledgements and the complete introduction. The sample is in Arabic.
Download the free Arabic samplePDF · Arabic · 6 pagesRead the Arabic sample ↗PDF · Arabic · 6 pagesContents extracted from the same updated manuscript, including chapters, topics and their page numbers. The contents are in Arabic.
Download the Arabic contentsPDF · Arabic · 5 pagesRead the Arabic contents ↗PDF · Arabic · 5 pagesSelect a chapter to view its topics. Page numbers refer to the updated electronic manuscript, not the sample or contents PDF; final print pagination may change.
Introduces the book’s subject and legal and practical significance, questions of protection and implementation, foundations of protection, methodology and sources.
View this chapter’s detailed topics in the updated Arabic contents PDFPDF · Arabic · 5 pages
Explains the concept of senior citizens and their rights, and examines guarantees in UAE legislation, international agreements and Islamic law.
View this chapter’s detailed topics in the updated Arabic contents PDFPDF · Arabic · 5 pages
Analyses Federal Law No. 9 of 2019 as discussed in the book, alongside protection and care policies, and compares its principles, aims and provisions with Islamic law.
View this chapter’s detailed topics in the updated Arabic contents PDFPDF · Arabic · 5 pages
Discusses penalties and criminal procedures relating to violations of senior citizens’ rights, and their proportionality in light of Islamic legal principles and objectives.
View this chapter’s detailed topics in the updated Arabic contents PDFPDF · Arabic · 5 pages
Explores public institutions’ and charities’ roles in care and protection through the services and practical efforts discussed in the book.
View this chapter’s detailed topics in the updated Arabic contents PDFPDF · Arabic · 5 pages
Highlights barriers to protecting senior citizens’ rights and proposes ways to strengthen care, improve access to services and coordination between institutions.
View this chapter’s detailed topics in the updated Arabic contents PDFPDF · Arabic · 5 pages
Brings together the main findings of the analysis and recommendations for stronger guarantees and protection. A separate statement on legislative developments and their implications follows.
View this chapter’s detailed topics in the updated Arabic contents PDFPDF · Arabic · 5 pages
The sample is available for personal reading. Copyright remains with the author.
Four excerpts from the book introduction to read and reflect on.
“Protecting senior citizens begins with recognising their dignity and their right to choose and participate, and extends to health and social care and protection from abuse and neglect.”
“Bridging the right stated in a legal text and its realisation in daily life is a shared responsibility of families, institutions and society.”
“The aim is to offer a legal analysis that respects senior citizens’ autonomy and contribution alongside the requirements of care and protection.”
“The book brings together Islamic legal foundations, legal analysis and discussion of published sources, distinguishing binding rules from legal opinion and proposals for improvement.”
A social, humanistic and educational book for families in the United Arab Emirates. It explores the lives of senior citizens, bringing together memory, family relationships, participation and services.
Across twelve chapters it moves from the memory of the Emirates and life in the past to government services, health, housing and daily life, heritage and volunteering, and the future of a society for all ages, with a practical appendix on preserving family memory. Published in Arabic.
Arabic PDFs: a 2-page overview and chapter list, and an 11-page sample containing the reader’s guide, introduction, first chapter and supporting source pages.
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From the memory of the Emirates and life in the past, to services, health, housing and daily life, then heritage, giving and family, and on to a society for all ages. Page numbers refer to the Arabic edition (131 pages).
A generation that knew the place before its features changed, and a home that was a school of life: the sea, the oasis, the desert, and the values of work and good neighbourliness.
The changes this generation lived through in housing, education, work and services, without romanticising the past or overlooking today’s challenges.
The roles senior citizens play in the family, the majlis and the community, and their standing in Emirati heritage and values.
A practical guide to senior citizens’ cards, service pathways and facilities, noting how they differ between emirates and the conditions for using them.
Healthcare, prevention and home care, and how families can support an elder’s health while respecting their independence.
Suitable housing, safety at home and social support, and the assistance available to senior citizens and their families.
Hobbies, gatherings, travel and technology as everyday choices, not exceptional privileges.
The nation’s memory and bridges between generations: how the knowledge, stories and skills senior citizens carry are preserved and passed on.
Giving does not retire: volunteering, community participation and sharing experience after working life ends.
Love, loyalty and connection across generations: how a family keeps a companionship in which its elder feels present and heard.
Peace of mind is part of a dignified life: grief, loneliness, adjustment and a sense of worth, and when to seek professional support.
A society for all ages and a better quality of life: what should improve in health, housing, mobility and participation, starting with the priorities of senior citizens themselves.
Excerpts translated from the Arabic original.
“Caring for senior citizens is measured not only by what is offered to them, but also by what they are free to choose, to take part in, and to add to the lives of others.”
“That is why we should not see senior citizens as a single group whose circumstances and needs are all alike.”
“For earlier generations, the home was never only a place to live. It was a space for learning, work and connection.”
“Hence the importance of listening to senior citizens — not merely to revive memories, but to understand social change through those who lived it.”
Coming soon
This book takes readers on a journey through Emirati life, from the sea, desert, oases, and mountains to neighbourhoods, majlis gatherings, and social traditions. Through conversations between grandparents and grandchildren, it explores Emirati heritage and shared memories while encouraging families to read together, exchange experiences, and ask meaningful questions.
By Dr. Salem Abdullah Al Nuaimi
To the senior citizens whose company we cherish, and to the grandmothers and grandfathers who still have questions to ask and dreams to pursue.
To the young who ask questions, and to those who give them time to talk.
And to every family that makes room in its day for shared reading and a new story.
I wanted this book to find a place in the hands of two people reading together. They might be a grandfather and grandson, a grandmother and granddaughter, or children reading with an older member of their family. Curiosity brings them together, and reading gives them a starting point for conversation.
In the Emirates, there are many experiences worth understanding up close. These include work at sea, caring for palm trees, knowledge of the desert, and life in the mountains. There are also schools, jobs, neighbourhoods, telephones, and friendships. Every experience involves people with choices of their own, things they love and fear, and things they wish to change.
Hamad was looking through a photo album with his grandfather Abdullah. He stopped at a picture of a wooden boat and pointed to a man standing beside it.
“Granddad, is that you?”
His grandfather brought the picture closer and smiled. “No. Your father took that photograph during a visit to a heritage site. Does every man in an old picture become me?”
Hamad laughed, then asked, “So who in our family used to go to sea?”
His grandfather said, “I went to sea on trips, but I never worked as a pearl diver. My father told me stories about work at sea. I remember some details; others we need to ask about.”
Hamad took out his phone. “Can I record you?”
“Let’s talk first,” said his grandfather. “Afterward, we can agree on what to record.”
Hamad set his phone aside and studied the rope visible in the picture.
“Who held this? And who waited for them at home?”
“Each of those questions has a story,” his grandfather replied.
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Dr Salem Abdullah Al Nuaimi