Halal hospitality for senior citizens in Malaysia: An analytical study from Islamic perspective

Abstract

Malaysia, as reported by the Department of Statistics Malaysia, will be an ageing nation by 2035. Yet, the rapid increasing population of the elderly in tandem with the decreasing fertility and morbidity rate causes imbalance in the society’s structure. The elderly is often perceived negatively because of the stereotype and it affects their physical and mental health. This study tries to define the meaning of elderly from the Islamic perspective and attempts to provide the halal key concepts as guidelines to improve the hospitality after analyzing the caretaking system in Malaysia using deductive and inductive method. This research hypothesized that the current caretaking system is progressing, but more drastic initiatives is needed to achieve a wholesome objective for elderly well-being from Islamic perspective.