Serving 3.200 elderly in our In-Home Care Program

The Pan American and Parapan American Games brought happiness to many people. They were two great sports festivities that infected many people. The elderly people who participate in Hogar de Cristo, dreamed of joining in as well. And, thanks to the team of the Recoleta residence, several people from this program came to the stands to cheer for the Paralympic athletes.

This is what six elderly people from the "Mi Hogar Recoleta" residence did. Thanks to the efforts of their occupational therapist, Nadia Córdova, together with their teammates, they made it possible. They organized everything, from admission, which was free, to transportation.

The mobilization was not only between the residence and the National Stadium, but also included the movement inside the stadium. The coliseum has 77 years of history and a dimension of 63 hectares. This is no small distance for older adults, some of whom have reduced mobility. That is why the occupational therapist's management was important, as she obtained electric carts so that they could move around easily. They attended the Sports Center of the National Stadium where they watched the wheelchair basketball game between the Chilean and Peruvian teams.

"These outings, in addition to having a recreational objective, allow the elderly to stay connected to the environment. In other words, they use their higher mental and cognitive functions, such as interaction and adaptation. At the same time, it serves to execute their motor functions in contexts outside the residence. This is so that they can visualize their abilities and also their limitations," explained Claudia Méndez, head of the Mi Hogar Recoleta residence

Thanks to the PADAM of Coltauco: "Chlorine, food and even coal have been brought to us".

The Home Care Program for the Elderly (PADAM) of Hogar de Cristo in Coltauco, a region of just around 18,000 inhabitants, has become a beacon of hope after the overflow of the Cachapoal River in the O'Higgins region. From the provision of toiletries and food, to emotional support and medicine, its members offer a helping hand to the most vulnerable older adults affected by the emergency.

"The water entered through the kitchen, then went to the living room, bathrooms and bedrooms. There was nowhere to walk. We lost practically everything," says Sofía (68), from her home in the commune of Coltauco,  O'Higgins region. "That day was sad. It reminded me of the Valdivia earthquake of 1960. It was very similar: the water, the mud, the power cuts."

-Where are you living now?

-We are still in the house, we are not leaving. We were lucky that our little bed was dry and we are sleeping there with Guillermo, my husband, who is struggling to get the mud out of the house, but you know what...? What worries me most is the humidity, because we can't get sick... But well, PADAM has become a beacon of hope.

The recent rains have been the heaviest in the last 30 years, causing flooding, isolating communities and claiming two lives.

-Have you received help here in Coltauco?

-Yes, this tragedy brought out the positive side of Chileans: solidarity... For us, PADAM has become a beacon of hope, they have brought me merchandise, blankets, dry clothes, boots, medicines. We have received a lot of help, a lot, they have even brought us chlorine and charcoal. They took me out of the house with a backhoe, because I did not want to leave my house the day everything was flooded, people are so good.

PADAM has become a beacon of hope, because it provides support to thirty vulnerable older adults in the commune, ten of whom have suffered total losses due to the floods, being forced to move to the homes of relatives or to shelters.

Monserrat, head of Hogar de Cristo's social operation in O'Higgins, concludes: "Although Hogar de Cristo is not an organization dedicated to emergencies in catastrophes, it has never and will never stop collaborating and contributing with our logistics and experience to help the poorest and most vulnerable people in the country. Those people who, on occasions like this, are always the most harmed, the victims, the dead and even the missing.