Photo: Provided
Published: Thursday, October 3, 2024, 10:44 p.m.
Can you imagine your 60-year-old grandparents competing to build pyramids out of paper cups, blowing them up, and laughing all the way through the relay? A new community project in the UAE is encouraging people to have fun and play games. proves that no one is too old.
The Smart Life Foundation, a non-governmental organization, holds free social events for seniors every month. These gatherings usually include yoga sessions and talks, along with lots of healthy interaction. But in September, Manjula Ramakrishnan, project leader for Smart Senior Citizens and Single Mothers, decided to try something different.
Get the latest news. Follow KT on our WhatsApp channel.
“Instead of us organizing the meet-up, we asked the seniors to plan it,” she told Khaleej Times. “Two of them, Kamakshi Mathneh and Kanchana Sampathbabu, came forward. They were assisted by our volunteers Bawana and Namrata.”
The group was amazed at the activities that the seniors seemed to come up with.
“It was a real treat. There were games and prizes. You could hear them laughing,” Manjula said. “One of the games was to write down the names of actors from the 1960s to the 1980s. The other was to make a pyramid out of paper cups and blow it up.”
“When the winners went home that day, they marched home like little children with their presents under their arms,” she said.
We are at risk of a ‘loneliness epidemic’
These gatherings are just some of the facilities that various organizations in the UAE provide to keep senior citizens entertained and involved in the country.
With humans living longer than ever before, older adults are at risk of facing an epidemic of loneliness and neglect. October 1st has been designated by the United Nations as International Day of Older Persons. This year’s theme centered around aging with dignity and strengthening support systems for older people around the world.
Consultant geriatrician Dr Salwa Alsuwaidi highlighted how people are now living longer.
“Before the UAE was unified, the average life expectancy was 53 years,” she says. “But now, with improved health services in this country and our intervention, the average life expectancy has increased to 80 years. As people live longer, health care has become an important topic.”
Dr. Salwa Alsuwaidi
Mr Manjula said that since the organization started working with senior citizens, a strong bond has developed among its 26 registered members.
“We are all grandparents,” she said. “We have lived full lives, but we still have much to contribute to society. We were all strangers, but now we have deep friendships.”
Manjula Ramakrishnan
Elderly people should interact
Geriatrician Dr. Rahul Unnikrishnan explained why such bonds of friendship are so important. “With the aging population comes social isolation,” he says. “As people get older, they lose social skills, have cognitive impairments and suffer from lack of motor skills. It’s important to create spaces where older people can socialize again.”
Seniors need clubs and councils where they can play board games, socialize and socialize with people their own age, he said. “Playing traditional games, singing and dancing are activities that they may have done when they were younger, so they need some outlet as well,” he says. “These are great for bringing back happy memories, stimulating the brain, and making you feel like an important part of society.”
He praised the UAE’s efforts to promote leisure activities for the elderly. There are several paths for people living in this country. Here are a few:
The Seniors Happiness Center, part of Dubai Health, provides 24-hour medical and nursing care to seniors and caters to their medical, social, rehabilitation, nutritional, cultural and recreational needs. Al Safa’s Tuha Club provides a gym, health centre, library and social space for Emiratis over 60 years old. Khaleej Times previously reported on Elder Square, a day care center for the elderly.
raise awareness
To raise awareness about the field of geriatrics, the UAE has established the Emirates Geriatrics Society (EGS) under the umbrella of the Emirates Medical Association.
Chairman Dr. Salwa explained that EGS is a joint effort of several geriatric health workers across the country.
“For older adults, it’s much better to consult a geriatrician because they need a holistic approach to health,” she says. “Doctors must consider the patient’s physical, cognitive, medical, social, and family issues.”
Dr. Salwa said geriatrics is still in its infancy and EGS is trying to change the way people think. “There are several issues that affect older adults, such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia,” she says. “These are called geriatric giants. Nobody talks about them much. We want to raise awareness about these issues.”
Also read: