How a Jordanian expat in UAE is addressing loneliness among seniors during uncertain times

Dubai: In times of regional uncertainty, many families in the UAE find themselves checking in more often on ageing parents and grandparents living alone, whether in the Emirates or back home.

For Sawsan Shalabi, quick phone calls and messages do not always address the emotional impact that uncertainty, distance, and isolation can have on older adults.

With this, the Jordanian expatriate and founder of Rafeeq Connect has launched the Dubai-based companionship platform to provide seniors with regular social interaction and meaningful conversation at a time when anxiety across the region is leaving many people feeling emotionally overwhelmed.

Rafeeq, which means companion in Arabic, has been built on the belief that what many older adults need is not a nurse or a therapist but someone who shows up, listens, and makes them feel that their time and stories matter.

“In the current climate, when anxiety is high and uncertainty is real, the instinct can be to retreat into screens and news cycles. Technology has made it easier to be in touch but it does not replace the experience of someone sitting with you, making tea, asking how you really are, and waiting for the answer,” Shalabi told Gulf News.

A personal understanding of distance

Shalabi moved to the UAE in 2020 for work, joining many expats who build lives away from home while remaining emotionally tied to family from miles away.

Growing up in Jordan in a close-knit family, she has spent much of her childhood around her grandparents. After relocating to Dubai, she has started noticing how easily older adults can become isolated in fast-moving cities and communities.

“The physical distance was manageable. The emotional distance was harder. Older adults are very good at saying they are fine. They do not want to be a burden,” shared Shalabi.

Just one week after arriving in the UAE, pandemic lockdowns began, deepening her understanding of loneliness among seniors.

“Being an expat means you learn to carry distance. But there are moments, like a phone call where your parent sounds quieter than usual or a visit home where you notice things have changed, those stay with you.”

The hidden emotional gap

According to Shalabi, many families focus on practical wellbeing from afar such as medication, meals, appointments, and household needs, while emotional wellbeing is harder to measure. 

“What is harder to see from a distance is how long the quiet stretches between phone calls actually feel. Older adults do not always communicate that,” explained Shalabi. 

She believes many seniors hesitate to express loneliness because they do not want to give their children a hard time, particularly during periods of tensions when families are already under stress.

“The emotional challenge families underestimate most is that their parent may be functioning perfectly well on the outside and still be profoundly lonely. Those two things can exist at the same time.”

Leaving corporate life behind

In February this year, Shalabi has left her corporate career to focus entirely on her startup, which has become more relevant due to the current geopolitical situation.

“I had built a career in the corporate world that I was proud of but I kept coming back to Rafeeq. The more I invested in it, the more I realised that what I was building here had a different kind of meaning,” said Shalabi.

Since launching, the platform has received strong interest both from families seeking companionship services and from residents volunteering to become companions.

“The outpouring support from people who want to give has been one of the most moving parts of this journey. It tells me that the need is widely felt and that people in the UAE are ready to show up.”

Check in properly

As the UAE marks the Year of the Family, Shalabi believes emotional connection deserves greater attention, especially during uncertain times. Her advice to families is to go beyond surface-level communication.

“Check in, not just by message, but properly,” stated Shalabi.

And for seniors hesitant to ask for companionship, she hopes to remove the stigma surrounding loneliness.

“Asking for company is not weakness. It is one of the most human things you can do.”