Photo: Montgomery Country Muslim Federation, which holds regular meetings to engage senior population
“Demographic shifts in the U.S. as well as globally have made aging an issue of high interest, yet little is known about the realities of Muslim experiences.” So begins Caring for Aging Muslim Families: A Needs Assessment, a 2016 report from the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) that seeks to start a much-needed discussion on Aging in the American Muslim community.
For this report, author and ISPU Scholar Dr. Kristine Ajrouch surveyed more than 250 Muslims who were over 60 years old or who had parents over 60. Additional research was obtained via focus group and one-on-one interviews.
Among the issues this report identified was the fact that the population of older American Muslims is growing and, similar to the broader population of aging Americans, is increasingly in need of assistance with home care, transportation, and maintaining their physical health—three factors critical to their physical quality of life.
Furthermore, while past generations of American Muslims were often able to directly care for their elders, direct care of parents and other elders is not always possible now due to changing lifestyles and family structures, longer life spans, and the rise of chronic disease. Some older American Muslims realize this and are willing to explore formal care options. However, the options that exist currently are not always culturally sensitive to the needs of older American Muslims.
ISPU’s research found that some mosques are willing to create spiritual and social programs for seniors, which would enhance their emotional health and well-being. However, community prioritization on aging has been low, and Muslim communities are generally not prepared to serve the needs of older American Muslims. Mosque leaders would like individuals, families, and the community to converse openly about aging and to look beyond the mosque to create a broader ecosystem that can help fulfill the care-related needs of older American Muslims.
Other findings from this study include the following:
- For elders and families, relationships with younger generations as well as same-age peers represent an important aspect of well-being.
- For religious leaders, it is important to talk openly and regularly about aging issues, vigilantly emphasizing how important the roles and responsibilities are of the entire community, above and beyond the family, to address care needs.
- For service providers, it is important to note that though needs related to aging are similar for all surveyed Muslims, the experiences of receiving help and satisfaction with that help varies to a certain extent by race and ethnicity.
- For community-based funders, it is important to proactively plan and prioritize aging as a critical issue for the American Muslim community.
- Finally, for local and state government policy makers and legislators, supporting community-based initiatives that attend to the needs of aging Muslims may yield effective results that enhance the lives of elders, their families, and the broader community.
It is ISPU’s hope that this report will begin a much-needed discussion into how to care for the needs of aging American Muslims, and that these findings will help stakeholders in the Muslim community to direct their attention to key areas as they support the needs of a growing population of older adults.
The report is available at https://www.ispu.org/social-policy/american-muslims-and-aging/
