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Toronto Star,
Ontario ed.
Saturday, May 12,
2001
Reh'ma Foundation fills cultural void
Jean Ally knows what it
takes to care for the elderly.
"My mother had
Alzheimer's and my father became a quadriplegic after an accident."
Until her mother died in
1994 and her father in 1996, Ally cared for them full time for several years. While it would have eased the burden to put them in a
nursing home, her siblings and father objected.
So with the help of her
siblings, social services and a nurse who assisted with her mother, Ally assumed responsibility for their well being, giving up her job with
the family business to do so.
"The burn-out factor
in situations like mine is incredible," says Ally, 50, looking back
on that period.
The North York resident
could have used the services of Reh'ma, a new organization geared to the needs of elders in the Muslim community.
"Elders are valuable
members of society and Reh'ma will work towards providing culturally sensitive services aimed at achieving our physical, psychological and
spiritual well-being," explains Rafi Mustafa, a Scarborough resident and volunteer with the
organization.
"Seniors' homes and
institutions should be the last resort. I'd like to see Reh'ma create an environment where the immediate and extended family, plus friends and
volunteers, can pitch in to support our seniors."
According to Ally, who
volunteers with Reh'ma, the organization can fill the void left by mainstream groups.
"There are dietary,
emotional and spiritual requirements that mainstream organizations cannot
fulfil, although they are extremely helpful in terms
of physical assistance.
"For example, my
father wanted to take a shower every day in order to pray, which was difficult for the caregivers to understand."
There are approximately
39,000 Muslim seniors living across the GTA. They represent "the
fastest growing, yet most overlooked segment of our community,"
according to Munir Jan, treasurer of Reh'ma.
Funded primarily by private
donations from within the community, the foundation operates on the energy of volunteers and a board of directors.
Currently, there are two
drop-in social centres, one in Mississauga and one in Richmond Hill, where a large number of the Muslim community lives. Seniors can spend the
day there, playing cards, praying together and having meetings and refreshments.
Reh'ma's founders did
research and consulted with Muslim community leaders, Jan explains. "We discovered that
Muslim elders (like other ethnic communities) suffer from isolation, lack of
information,
low self-esteem, alienation and depression u in turn leading to the
deterioration of physical and mental health. So we realized that immediate action was necessary."
As a result, Reh'ma was
established as a non-profit organization, with support from The Don Mills
Foundation for Seniors Inc. and the Ontario Coalition of Senior Citizens
Organizations.
Jean Ally has her own ideas
about the role Reh'ma can play.
"I'd like to see
Reh'ma accomplish more visits to Muslim seniors in their own homes to take
the strain off their family members and give them a much-needed
break."
Reh'ma volunteer Najia
Saeed visited many organizations and seniors' homes before joining the
group.
"I discovered that the
cultural and religious needs of Muslim elders are very different to the
mainstream and if we wish to address those specific needs, then we need an
organization like Reh'ma," says Saeed, in her late 50s. "We are all heading towards old age faster
than we like, so we have to face up to reality."
For further information on
Reh'ma, call 416-391-1609 or visit the Web site at www.rehma.org.
We discovered that Muslim elders suffer from isolation, lack of
information, low self-esteem, alienation and
depression u in turn leading to the deterioration of
physical and mental health.'
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