Raising Money For The Old People’s Home In Atenas, Costa Rica.
Since childhood there has been a special place in my heart for the elderly. I was fortunate in that my great-grandmother became my babysitter when my mother was working. Grandma Murphy, as we lovingly called her, lived in an old, typical, Florida Cracker house that she and my great-grandfather had built by hand in the early 1920’s.
Her friends and neighbors would always stop in and visit, telling stories about old times, laughing and reminiscing. At the young age of 5 she taught me to rake leaves and push a lawn mower. Her lessons instilled in me a work ethic and pride that I will cherish all my life.
Let’s face it, if we are lucky enough, we are all going to get old. My personal goal has always been to live to at least 100, that is, if I can still care for myself.
Raising Money For The Old People’s Home In Atenas, Costa Rica – Video slideshow.
However, life has taught me that we don’t always have a choice with our health no matter how careful we are with diet and exercise throughout our lives. So, what options are there in Atenas for the aged who cannot care for themselves? Traditionally speaking, Costa Rican’s care for their elderly at home and a big percentage still do.
Unfortunately, as the country “progresses” and develops, families no longer have the time to take care of their elderly family members at home. More and more of Costa Rica’s elderly are depending on private care or nursing homes.
About a year ago my good friend Marietta Arce and I visited the local nursing home in Atenas. The locals refer to it as the Hogar de Ancianos but the proper name is Hogar para Ancianos Hortensia Rodriguez Sandoval de Bolanos de Atenas.
Marietta and I had arranged a meeting with Ana Lissette Herrera Quesada, the director of the Hogar to learn more about the facility and see if the Hogar was in need of any assistance. Durning our visit we learned a lot and were inspired into action.
Ana enthusiastically offered us a tour giving us information about the Hogar’s history, theri mission, the facility, residents, staff and how they receive their funding.
The Hogar was founded in 1978 but actually started to function in 1974. The land where the Hogar is located (3.25 acres) was donated by Mr. Froilan Bolanos. In honor of this generous gift of land, the facility was named after Mr. Bolanos wife, Hortensia Rodriguez Sandoval de Bolanos.
As we walk around the grounds and through the facility, I realize something was missing. The “smell” that I had associated with nursing homes since childhood had eluded me and was replaced by the freshness of the surrounding countryside.
The Hogar was impeccably maintained and the residents were very active, engaged and not just stuck in a corner somewhere. Ana points out to Marietta and I the importance of cleanliness and the work it entails as we enter the large laundry room that is run by a single elderly woman. The linens and clothing of nearly 80 residents are laundered DAILY, making for non-stop, back breaking work.
We leave the laundry facility and continue on our tour to a large outdoor patio where a group of the residents are playing bingo. I ask Ana to tell us the mission of the Hogar and she responds “We provide quality care for the “abuelos” (the endearing way Ana and the staff refer to the residents) who are without a home, family or who are without economical resources to care for themselves.
We want to ensure that they enjoy a high quality of life durning their last years.” Marietta and I are eager to be informed so we ask Ana about the services the Hogar provides to the residents. Ana continues “We offer integrated attention for elderly adult residents with lodging, three meals a day plus two snacks accompanied by coffee, tea or juice.
The meals and snacks are all planned by our on staff dietitian. The abuelos also have physical therapy, recreational therapy and 24 hour nursing care with an on site pharmacy.
Medical care is provided via the Caja (the national health care system) which also includes mental health with a psychologist. We try and provide all of this with love in a atmosphere of harmony.”
Looking around, I am amazed how much space the Hogar has to offer its residents. There is over 40,000 square feet of construction that consists of large indoor and outdoor common areas, beautiful gardens, which were being replanted during our visit by some of the residents and staff.
Not only could we see that the flowers brought a splash of color to the Hogar, but a sense of purpose and sparkle to the residents eyes. As part of the recreational activities there is a vegetable garden and fruit orchard that is cared for by the residents and employees. The Hogar offers shared and private living quarters for the residents, depending on the physical and financial abilities of the residents.
As our tour continues, we ask Ana how many abuelos live at the Hogar and she answers “Currently there are about 75 residents who call the Hogar home, 3/4 of which are economically challenged making only a basic monthly pension.”
With that many residents, who takes care of them? Ana says “The facility depends on 20 trained caretakers, an administrative staff of three, one physical therapist, one nutritionist and a recreational physical therapist.”
It all sounds good and the facility obviously runs like a well oiled machine under Ana’s direction, but how do they pay the bills? Ana states “In the beginning the Hogar had a difficult time maintaing itself and meeting the needs of its residents. However, with the help of the community at large the Hogar has at least been able to cover its expenses and give quality care to the residents that call it home.
Our board of directors have been proactive in the Hogar’s financial stability by attracting events for fund raising such as the annual Ox Cart parade, charity auctions and Atenas of Yesteryear (to become Atenas Heritage Festival), a one day event that celebrates the cultural traditions and heritage of “yesteryear”.
These events account for about 60% of the Hogar’s funding and the remaining 40% is provided by the government via the Consejo Nacional de Persona Adulta Mayor y la Junta de Proteccion Social de San Jose.
In addition, a minimal amount of the residents make monthly contributions based on their government pension. The Hogar also offers private efficiencies that can be rented for C400,000.00 per month for those who have the ability to pay privately.”
In all honesty our visit to the Hogar had ulterior motives. Strive and Thrive, a mastermind group that I along with Shannon Farley, Marietta Arce, Isabelle Jones and Leah MacLauchlan founded, were collectively interested in finding a great cause to champion.
After Marietta and I visited the Hogar, we knew we had found our mission and we were all enthusiastic to help the abuelos. The brainstorming began and the result was the creation of a one day event, Atenas of Yesteryear (Atenas Heritage Festival).
The idea of the event is to bring all the traditions (food, games, music, art) of Atenas and Costa Rica together in one place to benefit the Hogar de Ancianos. Our first event was held the end of March and was a complete success.
The events success was due to the combined efforts of the community at large. As the young traditional dancers and Yoshii Sasaki, a 91 year old Japanese watercolor artist proved to us, you are never too young or too old to help your community! We are look forward to organizing our next event which will take place in December.
If you are looking for a deserving organization to support, please consider the Hogar de Ancianos in Atenas. There are many needs at the Hogar from daily assistance with laundry to a good seamstress, someone to organize group activities for the abuelos or plain old cash.
Being involved in your newly adopted community is one of the rewarding ways to interact, integrate and become a “local”. If you need assistance, drop me a line. I am more than willing to help!
Raising Money For The Old People’s Home In Atenas, Costa Rica.
Article/Property ID Number 4172
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Andrew Makarik
to@welovecostarica.comAndrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.
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