Highlights
- Series of clubs to be established in Dubai public parks to reach out to more senior citizens.
- Thukhor social club for seniors is one of the initiatives of the Dubai’s Supreme Committee for Development and Citizens Affairs.
- Thukhor Social Club in Al Safa Park is the first to be set up within the initiative
Dubai: The expansion of top-notch facilities for Dubai seniors citizens are in the works.
The aim: ensure inclusion and active participation in social events of as many seniors as possible, and help improve their way of life.
The expansion will be patterned after the Thukhor Social Club, and will be strategically located in the main districts of the emirate, according to Major General Dr Ali Singel, Health Adviser to Dubai Police and leader of the Thukhor Social Club project.
Thukhor is one of the initiatives of the Dubai’s Supreme Committee for Development and Citizens Affairs.
Programme for seniors
Thukhor Social Club in Al Safa Park is the first to be set up within the initiative. Since its opening on May 30, 2023, there are already 350 members — both male and female age 60 and above — who have joined the club.
According to the emirates’s statistics, there are 11,000 senior citizens in Dubai.
Quality of life
The club focuses on bringing together cross-generational interaction, such as between grandparents and grandchildren, and provide senior citizens with a supportive and inclusive environment in which their wisdom and contributions are valued and celebrated.
The move seeks to improve the seniors’ life under the slogan “Dubai will remain young”.
Major General Singel pointed out that the initiative implements the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to improve the quality of life of senior citizens and ensure their active and continuous participation is society.
It also forms part of the drive towards achieving the main goals determined by the Supreme Committee for Development and the Affairs of Senior Citizens, headed by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai.
Club services
Currently, the club provides various services, taking into account the various aspects of the lives of seniors in terms of physical, mental and psychological health.
By expanding the programme, it seeks to make all seniors in the emirate know and feel they are an integral part of society and due attention and care are accorded to them.
Positive energy
By encouraging social interaction, as having Thukhor social clubs established in parks, this will contribute to positive energy as natural greenery enhances social and psychological well-being.
The clubs promote people-to-people interactions and takes inspiration from concepts of “win, victory and love” symbolised by the three-finger salute popularised by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid, and from which the Thukhor social club takes its logo.
“It reflects the extent of expressing the love that the people of the Emirates have for this beloved category to our hearts, in return for the services and sacrifices they provided for the sake of our homeland, and what the new generations must learn from their victory so that victory will always be the ally of everyone serving the country,” he said.
Three-in-one
He explained that the word “Thukhor” also consists of three Arabic letters, as the club deals with each member as consisting of three parts — mind, body and soul.
Its services and activities — for its members, currently stands at 350 — on being mentally aware, psychologically balanced and physically healthy.
The club also aims to achieve family stability for its members and for them to be productive in their society, by bringing the senior citizens and the younger generations closer.
The idea is to form bonds on the basis of one’s ability to give — by fusing together the experiences and wisdom of seniors with the innovation and creativity of the younger generation. It is hoped to stimulate development and requirements of the future and at the same time maintain the sustainability of our national identity.
30 minutes
Dr Khaled Lootah, Director of Thukhor Social Club in Al Safa Park, told Gulf News the a series of similar clubs in Dubai parks will be formed to empower and integrate senior citizens, bridge generational gaps, enhance their full engagement in social life, and avoid their social isolation.
It is also designed to pay attention to help improve quality of their lives in terms health, cultural and psychological factors.
Dr Lootah explained that members will be considered as “Ruwad” (Arabic for “visitor”) to remove feeling of old age from them and make them feel comfortable.
Opening
The club opens daily from 6.30am to 9.30pm. There are 26 employee working at the club in shifts in addition to nursing staff.
The club has a station, called Quality of Cultural Life Pavilion, an on-site and virtual library, and a knowledge laboratory that includes computers.
It provides an opportunity for club members and visitors to read about 1.8 million digital material and 160,000 titles of books and literature in various fields through the Dubai Digital Library.
This section has an open hall to organise trainings and awareness courses and workshops on at least nine topics, including financial planning, health, humanitarian work, sports, etc.
Courses
Five courses have been organised since the opening of the club on May 30. Moreover, there is big screen where heritage-related movies and documentaries are screened.
The members can also take benefit from the nutrition section where specially designed nutrition programs are suggested for each member according to his health condition. The club also houses a cafe and a barber shop.
The Thukhor Social Club is supported by The Executive Council of Dubai, Dubai Sports Council, the Dubai Health Authority, the Dubai Academic Health Corporation, the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, Dubai Digital, Dubai Police, Department of Finance, Dubai Municipality, and the Community Development Authority in Dubai.
All services at the club are provided free of charge for all members.
