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Cuba:
A Second Home for The Elderly BY
MARELYS VALENCIA
June 23, 2003 Cuba - In one of his classic films, Italian
director Vittorio de Sica tells the story of Umberto, an old man who,
after a long working life, can be seen in the street walking among people
who don’t see him. Only his dog listens to him; monologues and silence
reign in the bleak social portrait that is his life. Older people tend to suffer from depression
for various reasons (age-linked problems, invalidity, malnutrition,
loneliness). Studies show that in some cases, this may result in an
inability to adapt to social circumstances or even suicide, if the family
or state loses sight of them. In Cuba, a high percentage of the country’s
elderly live with their children or other relatives who may be spending
the entire day outside the home, working or studying. In order for the elderly not to become
isolated, after having served society and the family for so many years,
rehabilitation and recreation day care centers called Casas del Abuelo
(literally Grandparent’s Houses) could be one option. Luckily for older folk, at least one such
center exists in every municipality throughout the country; all of them
provide socially relevant support to the hundreds of thousands of people
who go there. A person first visits the Casa del Abuelo after being
referred by their family doctor to a Gerontology Center where a
multidisciplinary team assesses their frailty and decides on what is the
best type of support required. This could be meals on wheels, a senior
citizens’ home, or a grandparents’ circle - that function through the
community family doctor service - an orientation and recreation group, or
a Casa del Abuelo. TIRED OF LIVING Paco Valdes’ new life began at the age of
89. When his wife died he thought that his world had ended. Loneliness and
desperation became his new companions. But instead of giving up on life,
one day he woke up early and went to see his doctor. Since that moment
three years ago, he can be found each morning before 7 am in Playa
municipality’s Casa del Abuelo. “All my family have left the country, but
I’ve found another one here,” he told me whilst reclining in a rocking
chair in the center’s dining room. From Monday-Friday, every one of the
56 mature adults receives breakfast, two snacks, lunch and dinner; on
Saturdays they are fed until midday. They spend around 11 hours per day in the
center that, since its inauguration in 2000, has been run with patience
and praiseworthy dedication by Dr. Ivon Planas. “We receive elderly
people who don’t have any company in the day, or live alone. They may be
feeling depressed or have difficulties in expressing themselves but have
no physical or mental problems. They stay here from 6.30 a.m. until 6.00
p.m. for six months to one year, during which time they can rehabilitate
and integrate themselves to become useful members of the community once
again.” In addition to receiving weekly specialized
psychiatry, physiotherapy and chiropody sessions, Playa’s Casa el Abuelo
has acquired some equipment, with Red Cross cooperation, and can offer its
services to the rest of the elderly in the community. Collective birthday celebrations, cultural
activities, visits from children attending nearby schools, trips to
municipal libraries, games, crafts, are all part of the attempt to bring
back joy back to these people and stimulate their minds - a healthy
antidote to the inevitable passing of time. In the morning, when the daily exercise
period is over, the Casa’s regulars can be seen conversing in a large
room or playing dominoes, Paco Valdes’ favorite pastime. Catching sight
of a sad face among some new members of his family, he asked them to join
in. As the afternoon draws to a close, the kindly
old man returns home. He has many ports of call along the 12 blocks to his
house; it seems as if when 6.00 p.m. comes, he is awaited by mutual
friends who invite him to stop a while before continuing the route he
repeats day after day, month after month, in a perpetual challenge to
resignation. AN AGING POPULATION While budgets destined for social welfare
projects are subject to the same ups and downs as national economies, old
people have to place their faith in God’s will, especially in developing
countries where budget cuts are the conduit that leads to new loans from
international finance organizations. Cuba is one of the developing nations where
respect for the elderly has reached the same level as the industrialized
nations. The island’s National Program for the Elderly was initiated in
1978 and attempts to guarantee a dignified life for this social group. The program was originally aimed at creating
and maintaining old people’s homes, then later extended to community
health care including the Family Doctor Program, creating
municipality-based multidisciplinary geriatric care teams’ centers,
Casas del Abuelo and Grandparents’ circles, plus other initiatives with
social impact. “Care for the elderly,” affirmed Dr.
Enrique Vega Garcia, the program’s national director, “is a priority
for the Ministry of Public Health and receives more than 100 million pesos
from the state.” Currently, 14.6% of the island’s
inhabitants are over 60 years of age. Uruguay, Argentina and Barbados have
the highest senior citizen totals, followed by Cuba. However studies show
that within seven years, Cuba will have the highest rate of elderly people
in Latin America and the second highest in the Western Hemisphere, behind
Canada. This is due to two reasons: a drop in the mortality rate for all
age groups plus falling birth rates. The latter phenomenon began in the
1970’s when women became involved in development and equality programs. In addition to an increase in the
over-60’s, Dr. Vegas informs that the Cuban population will have become
smaller by 2015. Other life expectancy figures reveal that 75%
of those born now will reach 60, whilst the prediction for 2010 is 87%. Las Villas and City of Havana are the island’s provinces with the most longevity of inhabitants. Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging |
