By Geraldine Bayron-Rivera, Ph.D. | Development & Programs Planning Director
Dear Donors:
Receive our greetings on behalf of La Fondita de Jesús’ family! It is with great respect that we report our achievements in providing services to prevent homelessness among older adults in Puerto Rico from July to October 2024.
During this quarter, we had the opportunity to visit 57 vulnerable communities. These communities are in the following 14 Puerto Rican municipalities: Aibonito, Añasco, Bayamón, Caguas, Canóvanas, Carolina, Loíza, Maricao, Mayagüez, Naguabo, San Juan, Toa Baja, Utuado y Vieques. Nevertheless, it is essential to mention that our organization already has a presence in more than 35 municipalities in Puerto Rico (almost 45% of the total of cities on the island).
A total of 813 older adults were impacted during this period. Of those, 501 were women (62%), and 312 were men (38%). These people received over 3,966 units of service. These people are 60 years or older, and one of their main challenges is needing more income to access their basic needs, including food and social, economic, housing, and health services, even with the state’s medical plan. Due to the increase in living costs on the island, more and more older adults are requesting support to cover said needs.
Likewise, part of this population's challenges is the abandonment of families and friends, so they require more significant support with hygiene, cleaning their homes, or preparing food. Also, they need people with whom they can talk about their situations. Because of this, we have identified a feeling of isolation and loneliness in older adults since they do not have a support network that allows them to stay connected.
Other various needs were identified among these individuals. Most of them lack the knowledge and skills to access digital services regarding social services related to housing subsidies, public housing, leasing, and healthcare, being at high risk of losing their homes due to social determinants that affect their health and safety. Our staff facilitates capacity-building activities where older adults learn how to use electronic devices and the Internet and access and coordinate their appointments for housing needs and health services, thus managing loneliness and isolation. We found many older adults living in impoverished communities who had not renewed their government medical plan coverage, so many had not received medical follow-ups. Moreover, during this period, it was identified that many older adults are not adherent to their medical treatments, especially those related to hypertension, which leads us to invest more time in education and the management of hypertensive crises. It was identified that a large number of the impacted participants do not have the financial resources to cover the deductible costs of procedures and medical studies which is another healthcare disadvantage among older citizens.
Other vital challenges these older adults confronted were accessing transportation to doctor appointments, the pharmacy, or the laboratory to take care of their health needs actively. This population’s greatest challenge is to cover basic needs such as food, personal items, household utilities, rent payments, etc., due to their precarious socioeconomic status, which affects their quality of life.
During this period, isolation and loneliness workshops were implemented for older adults. In this, we must highlight that the population has received the topic positively, being open in group discussions and bringing personal experiences and strategies that have helped them combat the symptoms associated with isolation and loneliness.
During this period, 84% (202) of the impacted older adults received a medical evaluation and guidance on their health care. It was possible to deliver Over-the-Counter medication kits to each impacted older adult, along with educational literature on the proper use of medications and other topics of great interest.
Furthermore, we have provided healthcare activities and health education services specifically aimed at older adults residing in public housing and vulnerable communities in Puerto Rico. These health fairs were collaborations with other organizations due to alliances established, thus expanding the scope of our health services and benefiting more older adults residing under extreme poverty conditions. We provided hot meals, such as breakfasts and lunches, and distributed emergency grocery bags with non-perishable food and fresh products. Moreover, we have also distributed personal hygiene kits, home cleaning kits, over-the-counter medicines kits, and equipment such as adult diapers, underpads, wipes, boxes of water bottles, sheets, mattresses, box springs, bed frames, lanterns, wheelchairs, cleaning materials, and clothing, among others.
They have been receptive to participating in capacity building through art workshops, orientations, community conversations, education, and discussion tables where they can exchange ideas and express their emotions to create healthy management of their daily lives, thus contributing effectively and positively to many projects of the organization and the community.
Workshops were provided on the following topics:
During this period, case management and community social work services were also offered through home visits, telephone calls with participants, calls with community leaders, initial interviews, follow-ups, case discussions, appointments and services coordination, document management, and internal and external referrals.
We reiterate our gratitude to you, our social investors, who believe in our mission to continue impacting the lives of those who need it most. With your support, we can achieve this and more.
Links:
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
Support this important cause by creating a personalized fundraising page.
Start a Fundraiser
