A Day of Connection and Wellness: Elderly Sharing Session at YUM Cipanas

As we age, staying healthy isn’t just about medicine—it’s also about staying informed, connected, and active. At YUM Cipanas, supporting the well-being of the elderly goes beyond providing care—it means creating space for dialogue, learning, and shared experience.

That’s why we recently hosted our first Elderly Sharing Session, bringing together 20 participants—14 women and 6 men—for an afternoon dedicated to practical health knowledge, meaningful discussion, and community connection.

Held in our community hall, the session offered more than just information. It fostered encouragement, conversation, and a true sense of belonging.

Led by the YUM team—Pak Samsul, Bu Tarkiyah, and Bu Dian—the discussion covered common health concerns many of our elderly experience, such as joint pain, blurred vision, hearing loss, high blood pressure, dizziness, digestive issues, high cholesterol, and more.

But before diving into solutions, the YUM team took a moment to ask each participant about the highs and lows of their personal journey. The stories that followed were shared with warmth and sincerity—moments of joy, challenges overcome, and lessons learned through time. Each voice added depth to the day and reminded us that health isn’t just physical; it’s also about feeling heard and valued.

Of course, the session wasn’t all about problems—it was about practical solutions too. We introduced simple lifestyle adjustments, starting with limiting the “six whites” in daily diets: white rice, sugar, dairy, flour, coconut milk, and processed starches, which can contribute to health issues when consumed in excess.

Instead, we encouraged turning to trusted local herbal remedies—ginger, turmeric, lemongrass, bay leaves, galangal, temulawak, and garlic—all long used to promote well-being naturally. And of course, no health session is complete without a gentle reminder to stay active—because avoiding “mager” (a local term for “too lazy to move”) is one of the best ways to age with strength and joy.

To round out the day, our seniors took the lessons to the garden! In a spirited group activity, they planted sweet corn and water spinach (kangkung)—crops they’ll later harvest and enjoy together. It was a simple but powerful way to reconnect with nature, movement, and one another.

Because we believe that growing older should be joyful, empowering, and full of life. And every gathering like this—every conversation, every seed planted—is one more step toward a healthier, more connected tomorrow.