Fabulous 50+ celebration brings joy and companionship to Alexandra’s seniors
Fabulous 50+ is bringing joy back to Alexandra’s seniors, offering companionship, laughter, and a renewed sense of community in their golden years.
The Fabulous 50+ organisation is determined to ensure that the senior years of Alexandra’s women are not marked by stress and loneliness.
The group recently brought together members over 50 years of age at the Hub in Alexandra to celebrate community, combat isolation, and rediscover happiness in their golden years. The event, held on May 31, highlighted the vital role that many elderly residents, particularly grandmothers, continue to play in their families, while often facing isolation themselves.
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The non-profit organisation, which began operations in March, was founded with a simple goal: To revive happiness among people over 50.
A Fabulous 50+ member, Tshidi Tanci, said, for many seniors, later life can bring profound loneliness. After dedicating decades to raising children and grandchildren, instilling morals, values, and support, she said they often find themselves alone, as younger family members build their own lives. “We console one another in terms of loneliness, because you will find that at our age, those who have partners, their partners have passed on. You would find that a person is lonely because the children have also grown up and have gone to their own places. So, we are tackling that loneliness.”
Tanci, and fellow member Didi Phahlane, emphasised that such gatherings support physical and mental well-being of senior residents. Phahlane said, after 50, many become more susceptible to illnesses, which stress and isolation can worsen. “But when we gather together as members, you forget about all those things.
“It helps with high blood pressure and stress, because when you are lonely you pick up a lot of things, including high blood pressure and all those kinds of sicknesses.”
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The event offered a chance for peers to connect and step out of the solitude of their homes. Member Thandi Leruli expressed gratitude for the initiative. “I am excited. They took us out of houses so that we can meet others who are our peers. They gave a break from having to constantly watch over our grandchildren.”
Looking ahead, Fabulous 50+ hopes to expand its impact through partnerships with other organisations to better serve the over-50 community in Alexandra and beyond.
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