Why Elderly Care Is Crucial

Adults take care of their aging parents — it’s part of El Salvador’s culture. So why do so many of the roughly 200 seniors in Arcatao and nearby communities lack this support?

First, many adults leave this rural part of the country in hopes of improving their economic situation. They head to the U.S. border, attempt migration to other countries, or move to Salvadoran cities in search of opportunity. Second, many sons and daughters were lost to El Salvador’s 12-year Civil War (1980-1992), which hit the area especially hard.

Casa Hogar recognizes this need for elderly care. The project works to improve the quality of life of older adults and consists of two main components:

Senior Center. Casa Hogar’s senior center is a meeting space with a multipurpose room, two bathrooms, two showers, a dining room, and a kitchen (the latter in need of some renovation). Currently the center offers physiotherapy, aerobics, and social activities once a week. Medical attention and checkups are also offered onsite from local health care workers.

Home Visits. Part-time nurses visit the homes of the elderly who require personalized attention. Nurses review medications, and evaluate the needs of each individual. Canes, wheelchairs, portable toilets, adult diapers, and food are examples of tools and assistance provided. In cases where family can provide attention, the nurses educate them on how to provide care to their loved one. 

“Casa Hogar is a very nice space for people from the community to come together, to talk and forget about our problems and stress,” says 68-year-old Esperanza Ortega. “We learn new things. We learn how to take care of our health, how to make paper crafts and things like that. It would be nice to have more days a week!”

Casa Hogar intends to increase offerings and services in the coming years and, by 2025, it plans to operate six days a week. Expanding services, however, is dependent on funding.  

“We are off to a good start by providing much needed attention and services to seniors,” said Guadalupe Bonilla, Casa Hogar Project Administrator. She also notes there is more work to be done to meet the elderly community’s needs. “In the future, we would like to offer more services. We would like to expand our reach and work with more older adults.”