At the time of Golden Jubilee, Mawlana Hazar Imam guided us that seniors are our past, the bearers of our oldest stories, but also the beacons leading us into our future. He advised that we should not only nourish our younger generations but also the older ones. The Senior Center, a regular gathering space organized by the Aga Khan Social Welfare Board and dedicated to senior members of the Jamat, sets out to do just that.
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Established in 2021 in Atlanta, a Senior Center is located within each of the Southeast Jamatkhanas with the objective of giving the seniors of the Jamat a healthy outlet to engage and interact with others. These centers achieve Hazar Imam’s vision of nurturing the minds, bodies, and souls of the seniors in the Jamat.
The first Senior Center in the Southeast region launched in November 2021 at Atlanta HQ Jamatkhana. However, COVID-19 caused a swift closure of the center shortly after that.
Atlanta HQ’s Senior Center re-opened in May 2022. The initiative spread to Atlanta Northeast and Duluth Jamatkhanas in the same month. Meanwhile, the Senior Center at Atlanta South Jamatkhana opened in June 2022, and Atlanta Northwest opened in October 2022.
Now that the centers are back open and welcoming seniors again, Jamati leaders are excited at the prospect of fulfilling Hazar Imam’s vision.
Southeast Social Welfare Board Chair Nadya Mitha says, “Based on guidance from Hazar Imam, the Senior Center is a place where seniors can connect and where they defer from loneliness and make friends.”
Atlanta’s Senior Centers take a holistic approach to learning in two-and-a-half-hour sessions where seniors mingle, enjoy activities, and gain a sense of purpose in a communal setting.
The events take place weekly on Tuesdays at HQ, Thursdays at NE, and every other Tuesday at Duluth, NW, and South.
Seniors at Duluth Jamatkhana playing minute-to-win-it games
Sessions include activities such as sudoku, dandiya, KBC, tech classes, debate, and much more. However, the impact of these sessions reaches far beyond the time that seniors spend at the center.
Jalaluddin Noorani, one of the seniors from HQ Jamatkhana, says: “Coming to the Senior Center has benefited me greatly. My mind has developed so much through activities like. Puzzles, Ludo, and many others are meant to progress the mind. These exercises even help me sleep better at night.”
Chair Nadya says the goal of the senior center is to engage as many seniors as possible and increase attendance in each of the centers. Currently, Atlanta Headquarters Jamatkhana has an average of 52 participants, while Atlanta Northeast has 67 participants. Meanwhile, Duluth, Atlanta Northwest, and Atlanta South average 25 participants per event, with the goal of boosting that average to at least 30, according to Nadya.
The major challenge is transportation, notes Nadya, but the centers have recruited volunteers to assist in hopes of garnering greater participation, for which the seniors have been appreciative.
Izzatkhaoo Ali from Atlanta Northeast Jamatkhana is one of those seniors. “The volunteers care for us so much and pay attention to us the way a mother does for her child,” she says. “Despite working full-time, when they come to the center, they’re always laughing and smiling. We’re so happy to see them, and we pray for them.”
