MALANG, EAST JAVA – Dompet Dhuafa East Java (Jatim) organized an Elderly Care Pesantren at Bumi Maringi Peni, Pujon, Malang. This activity, which involved dozens of elderly individuals, was held over three days and two nights, from Friday to Sunday (22—24/9/2023).
This Elderly Care Pesantren serves as an activity center for seniors aged 55 and above, both retired individuals and those from the general public who seek happiness in this world and the hereafter.
The series of activities in the ‘Healthy Seniors, Great Seniors’ themed Pesantren Lansia focuses not only on spiritual development but also on physical well-being. The seniors are encouraged to enhance their knowledge of nature and contemplate it while engaging in therapeutic physical activities like gardening.
Gardening, aiming to alleviate boredom and stress among the elderly, encourages participants to engage in more intense social interactions, which helps reduce boredom and stress.
One of the participants from Malang, Yuli Achtien, a participant from Malang, shared her story with Dompet Dhuafa team about her first gardening experience at the Pesantren Lansia.
“I am delighted to have this gardening and harvesting experience. I’ve never done it before, so it’s a new skill for me,” said Yuli.
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Another participant, Dina Wahyuni, another participant from Depok, also expressed her joy, as she was able to take home souvenirs from her gardening efforts at Dompet Dhuafa’s Elderly Care Pesantren.
“In addition to activities for seniors, I am pleased that we are also equipped with gardening events. We harvested carrots nurtured by Dompet Dhuafa, and we could pick them as souvenirs,” Dina explained.
Like Dina, Detty, a participant from Tangerang, was happy to not only learn about religion but also about natural science and gardening.
“This event is perfect for seniors, it’s like being young again. We get religious knowledge as well as natural science knowledge, it’s really good!” said Detty from Tangerang.
Ratno Yuwarsono conveyed the participants’ high regard for the Elderly Care Pesantren activities and their hopes for its continuation.
“If you ask which part is the most fun, everything is fun. But the most important thing is that we make new friends. We connect with new friends and hopefully this activity continues to strengthen both our faith and physical health. Hopefully, this event is blessed by Allah SWT and will be held continuously. And also, so that our friendship doesn’t end here,” Ratno elaborated. (Dompet Dhuafa/Syafira)