• Submitted by: admin
• Health and Medicine
• Politics and Government
• 04 / 26 / 2007

Cuba, with nearly 15% of its older adult population (about 1 600 000)develops assistance models destined to guarantee an acceptable life quality to those who in many ways were useful to society for a long time.

By 2025, one in every four Cubans will be above 60 representing 24% of the population. But aging is currently a worlds event with higher impact on most developed regions.

In 1950 some 200 million people on the planet were above 60, while in 2000 the figure went up three times (600 millions). Experts in the topic foresee that by 2025, statistics will grow considerably based on the fact 1 200 million human beings will turn more than six decades.

Future societies will face the risks resulting from this trend, if they disregard the implementation of strategies and effective plans to face them.

An example among many others

In the park located on the intersection of the avenues Loma and Tulipán, in Nuevo Vedado neighbourhood of Plaza de la Revolución municipality in Havana, many pedestrians stop for a moment in their Saturdays rush hours to praise the handworks made by a group of retired people and buy some if possible.

This is possible because the old hands of ten women and men make of their fantasy and creativity a reality basically to keep on being in shape and maintaining their earliest handwork traditions alive. Its known as the Loma y Tulipán Handicraft Fair, a retired peoples cultural Project

Theyve been working for years in different sectors of production and services but following their retirement, they found they had something in common: wishes to continue being useful but in a different way.

Fulfilling themselves

Servilia Rico, one of the top projects promoters, recalls that in the early days of their retirement, they took part in the Cuban Women Federations activities in relation to exhibits and fairs.

"With an average age of 70.....we started getting together and developing. Some started learning knitting and others learned different hand works".

In March, 2005, and with the help of Salvador Calzada, representative of the local Gastronomy and Services Union, the related retired joined the group and began systematizing the job.

Dora Cabeda says she retied 11 years ago. She worked in photocomposition for Granma newspaper......

"Im here because I like all expressions of art. I was studying painting but I quit and now I do dead nature artworks, which comes up spontaneously".

Aged 76, Ana Garbey tells she worked in the footwear factory Amador Blanco Peña and that before joining the group of elderly she already belonged to another one called Aguja: " Our handworks are sometimes better sold than others. However we get busy, self-development and amuse ourselves".

Clara Rodríguez sews aprons, kitchen cloth, pillows, slippers, clothes-line-clip bags, small purses and all that she thinks can be appropriate.

In her opinion, the project is like a medication because many congratulate them for what they do, and that is high rewarding.

Justo Padrón the only men in the team says; "in fact cakes and jellies are baked by my wife, whose Jamacian parents taught her Caribbean cuisine delicacies. Im just her assistant. The one who gets the raw materials, processes the paste and she does the rest".

Now, they are part of Project Ismaelillo, where workshops are given to teach basically children and housewives different art expressions.

Theyll develop handworks as much as painting, music and others and be supported in forwarding best traditions by members of the Retired's Cultural Project

All this is possible thanks to the Cuban Central Workers Unions movement in charge of assisting the retired people and pensioners structured under the Union that enables them to feel still useful in their deserved jubilation.

The country has about 300 000 retired and pensioners grouped into 6 700 Labour Union sections in the communities, where they are directly linked to working places.

Other activities with older adults

This program got consolidated nationwide in 1982, following the World Assembly on Ageing in Vienna that established international strategies and programs with goals destined to strengthen the capacities of the nations for achieving a better way to get to the so-called "third age".

This is how in 1985, the Cuban Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology was set up, whose multidisciplinary teams favours longevity and healthy life and social acceptance.

The National Program for Assisting Older Adults, one of the four priorities of the Cuban Public Health Ministry also includes community, institutional and hospital assistance sub-programs, which guarantee family support, medical services, social security, sports and cultural activities and others.

About 200 Casas de Abuelos (grandparents' homes) host some six thousands of them in the morning, while others enjoy longevity at 125 old peoples homes, where they are cared for by a staff that considers them as their beloved ones.

But care goes far beyond. Nearly 800 000 Cuban long-living individuals belong to Círculos de Abuelos, (Grandparents clubs), where they do fitness thus keeping social relationship that so much help them protect joy-de-vivre.

About 96 000 elderly who live alone 12 % of this age group)are benefited with an at-home-vigilance program provided most of them prefer to remain at home. This type of assistance includes food, medical care and others, which are jointly boosted by the Ministries of Public Health, Labour and Social Security.

University of the Older Adult making available academic upgrading of grandparents and the 120 years club reflects that here its possible to reach that age.

Cubas notable effort to attain a worthy old age has been greatly enhanced by the Ibero-American Centre for Third Age (CITED. It was set up on May 7, 1992 at the University Hospital General Calixto García, the countrys oldest teaching-medical institution.

Source: By Esperanza Soler, CubaSi