Ministry of Hajj Prepares Elderly-Friendly Homes at Jambi Hajj Dormitory

The Jambi Regional Office (Kanwil) of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah (Kemenhaj) is preparing elderly-friendly Hajj services and disability accommodations for the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage, one of which is an elderly-friendly house with a capacity of 80 people at the Jambi Hajj Dormitory. Head of the Jambi Kanwil Kemenhaj, Wahyudi Abdul Wahab, in Jambi on Friday, stated that the elderly-friendly house is equipped with special companions for elderly pilgrims. They are implementing the theme “Hajj Friendly to the Elderly, Disabled, and Women” for the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage through various concrete measures. “We are collaborating with the Health Department and involving final-year Nursing students from Baiturrahim University to strengthen the Elderly Task Force that has been established,” he said. Based on data from the Jambi Kanwil Kemenhaj, the number of elderly pilgrims is recorded at 823 people out of a total of 3,276 prospective pilgrims divided into seven embarkation groups. He said that elderly pilgrims will still be filtered through categorisation based on a minimum age of 65 years and physical condition, so that pilgrims assessed as physically healthy can be combined into the regular pilgrim group. According to him, Embarkation Group BTH (Batam) 19 is considered a vulnerable group because it consists of Hajj pilgrims from Kerinci and Merangin Regencies, where the long travel distance to the Hajj Dormitory in Jambi City makes elderly pilgrims prone to fatigue. They are also providing a clinic at the Hajj Dormitory through the Class II Jambi Health Quarantine Centre and preparing golf carts on loan from UIN Sulthan Thaha Saifuddin Jambi to facilitate the mobility of elderly pilgrims. “The existence of this Elderly Task Force is very vital, with support from the Health Department and students from Baiturrahim University, it is hoped that services for elderly and disabled pilgrims can run optimally,” said Wahyudi Abdul Wahab.