Feeding and caring for the Elderly in Guatemala!

Our program of feeding the elderly is an essential...so many elderly who have no one to care for them ...or their families who do not have enough to feed them...receiving a visitor from a sponsor is a complete joy for the elderly. It brightens their day and they know there is someone who cares for them. — Visiting the elderly.

Mayan Families Elderly Care Video

Mayan Families Elderly Care Video!
When you think of hunger, your thoughts may not immediately turn to Guatemala.
Please watch this wonderful Video a volunteer helped to make!

http://youtu.be/NeidPggD0hs

Please post, share, blog, Like on Facebook etc!
Thank you all so much!
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!

Mayan Families Elderly program feeds 70 elderly people a week

The Mayan Families Elderly program feeds 70 elderly people, Monday through Friday, 5 days a week.

Once a month they have a medical evaluation to see how they are going .

We have medicines donated that can help with the average pains and aches.

We try to make sure that each of the Elderly people in our program  have their basic needs met....That they have a bed, a mattress, sheets, a blanket, a pillow , a warm jacket. 

We give them daily food , five days a week..and basic medical care from donated medicines.  

Sometimes they need more.  Like diapers....we have one elderly gentleman who is having a problem with his prostrate.

He has to wear diapers. Disposable diapers are expensive in Guatemala.  His family cannot afford them. He doesn't have anyone who would wash cloth diapers for him.  The last few weeks he has had to wear pieces of a rough fabric from bags that hold corn and rice. 

This is very uncomfortable for him.  

We appreciate any donations for  disposable diapers for adults. 

Please consider sponsoring an elderly person to be able to eat one meal a day.

Contact megan@mayanfamilies.org  or make a donation ...no donation is to small...it will help..http://www.mayanfamilies.org/DonateNow.

Sharon Smart-Poage
MAYAN FAMILIES

a registered 501.(c).(3) Non Profit Charity
Website: www.mayanfamilies.org

Juana, a new member of our Elderly Care program

Hi Everyone,
, suffers from constant migraines. She was hit by a motorcycle earlier this year, leaving her with lesions on her feet and face. Despite being taken to the health center and receiving care after the accident she still experiences debilitating headaches. She needs to take her medicine or the pain is excruciating.

Unfortunately, the little money she makes cleaning her neighbors house is not enough to cover the cost of the medicine, which is about $24 a month in addition to her rent, which is about $25 a month. She has four grown children who are unable to offer any support because of their own family costs: one is diabetic and has 14 children of her own, two others with 7 children each, and a son who has fallen out of contact. She separated from her husband about 35 years ago because of his drinking problem. She lives alone in a house without a water filter, chairs, a table or a closet for her clothes.

Like most of the other elderly in our program, Juana has worked her whole life to afford what little she has. After having dedicated her life to raising her children on her own, Juana deserves the same care in her time of need. However, the impoverished state of her family disallows them from returning her years of attention and care. She humbly eats her meals in her bed, the only piece of furniture she owns.

She is most in need of food and medicine. If you would like to help For more information on how to help Juana cover the costs of the food and medicine she desperately needs, please visit:

http://mayanfamilieselderlycare.blogspot.com/2012/09/juana-needs-medicine-and-food.html

Thank you!

Manuel is in serious trouble

One of the people in our elderly program is in serious trouble.   Manuel. 

He is the 64 year old man who is mute.

His niece takes care of him....She is the only family that he has....apart from his older brother who is wheel chair bound.

He is in an incredibly sweet man who always has a huge smile on his face . 

He had a prostrate operation in January . It appeared that all was well. He seemed to be doing fine.

But we have found that they stripped the prostrate and did not remove it.

Please remember I am not a medical person and this is just the information that I have been told.

Then recently the prostate became inflamed. It has now affected his bladder. His bladder has become swollen and he is not able to urinate.

He has been taken to the hospital but they cannot do anything for him there. He needs another hospital that has a specialist. 

A private hospital has offerered to give us a discount after the local doctor we work with has asked for their help.

They want $1,200 US for the operation and it needs to be done immediately.

His bladder is swelling .  He cannot urinate.  He has been straining and only urinates blood.

The doctors have told us that if we do not operate he will die a very painful death.

We don;t have the money to pay for his operation..........everyone in the office is very upset about his condition...his niece is sitting outside crying.

If you can help us with just a little, it will make a big difference.  

There is a lot of pressure for us to agree to this operation immediately but without any funds ....it is a very difficult position.

Please help Manuel if you can. 

Sharon

Sharon Smart-Poage

MAYAN FAMILIES

a registered 501.(c).(3) Non Profit Charity
http://www.mayanfamilies.org/DonateOnline

Stoves for the Elderly poor in rural Guatemala with Mayan Families

We have a wonderful opportunity to give stoves to the elderly.

The Interact group of Crestwood Rotary has donated 32 stoves.

Several of them have been given to families but there are so many elderly people cooking on open fires on the ground that we would like to be able to give some to them as well.

Each family that receives a stove has to contribute to the cost of the cement blocks that the stoves sit on.

The Elderly do not have the money to be able to buy these blocks and it is not included in the price of the stove.

If you would like to help an elderly person to  have a stove...it is just a mere $8 US. because the stoves have been donated.

Thanks,

Sharon

Sharon Smart-Poage
MAYAN FAMILIES

a registered 501.(c).(3) Non Profit Charity

Florencia

Hi Everyone,
On Saturday, Florencia, a member of our Elderly Care Program, passed away in her home with her daughter. Florencia has been bedridden for over a year and received almost all of her food, medication, and other necessities from Mayan Families. When she was still able, Florencia made tortillas and sold them in the street, with her basket in one hand and cane in the other.

She has been living with her daughter who has been unable to find work and now has the responsibility of paying all of the funeral expenses. We would like to help Florencia's daughter to pay for the coffin so that she does not have to suffer debts over her mother's death. A coffin costs $250.

For more information on how to help Florencia's family pay for her funeral, please visit:

http://mayanfamilieselderlycare.blogspot.com/2012/03/florencia-has-passed-away.html

Thank you!

Alejandro has passed away.

Alejandro has passed away.

We're deeply saddened to report that Alejandro has passed away. After fighting for several days he is now at peace, but his family is obviously grieving his loss. Alejandro passed away in the public hospital in the capital.

His body now has to be transported nearly 3 hours to Panajachel by a licensed car certified to carry deceased bodies.
It's very expensive and the family doesn't know how they will afford it. Plus, they are planning the funeral and paying the medical bills that Alejandro incurred during his hospitalization. A Mayan Families employee visited Alejandro's family today and they had nothing to eat.

The family is grieving the loss of a loved one and also faced with nearly impossible financial burdens. To pay for the certified transport, the funeral, and the medical bills, the family needs $300.

For more information on how to help Alejandro's family, please visit:

http://mayanfamilieselderlycare.blogspot.com/2012/02/alejandro-has-passed-away.html

Thank You!

Miguel and Elderly Care in Guatemala

Miguel is a sweet member of our elderly program.

He lives with his brother and it is always a delight to visit these two gentlemen because they are so friendly. Recently, however, Miguel has been having health problems with his prostate.

We took him to the doctor who prescribed various medications for him, which will hopefully help him greatly. However, Miguel also needs a prostate exam. The cost of his consult, his medications, and his future exam is $173. Please consider helping Miguel with his health problems.

for more information on how to help Miguel, please visit:

http://mayanfamilieselderlycare.blogspot.com/2012/02/miguel-needs-medical-help.html

Thank You!

Elder abuse in Guatemala

Hi, I don't know how many of you may  have seen the videos on our website......one is of the Elder Care Program....it features an elderly husband and wife. He is deaf and she is blind.  We first met them when we saw them going through the trash in the market in Panajachel looking for food.

When we visited the home, the husband explained that he preferred to sleep outside on a bed made of cardboard rather than sleep inside ...he said this was because there were a lot of fleas inside.  At the time, I thought it was strange because there didn't seem to be any fleas there.  His bed was just a few pieces of cardboard on a piece of wood and it had to be cold outside, also the bed had to get wet in the rainy season because there was so little cover.

I realized last Christmas the real reason.    The elderly couple have their adult son living with him and he is very abusive.  He drinks a lot and when he drinks he gets very violent.

Last  Christmas the paramedics brought the husband to us and asked if we could find a place for him to sleep as the son had thrown him out of the house.

We put him up for a few days and then he went home.....but I heard more stories about how everyone knew the son was abusive.

Last night , around 10pm. the son was drunk and started beating up the father. The father is so frail.  This poor old man works so hard, he collects bottles to sell, he has his chickens to raise and he still goes out and gets whatever work he can.  He is probably nearly 75 yrs old.

The neighbors screams alerted Eric who is a Mayan Families staff member who happens to live nearby. Eric rushed over to the house to help the elderly man. The son was threatening anyone who came in that he would also beat them ....but Eric was a paramedic for nearly 7 years and is a very chunky man. He was not scared. He went in and pulled the old man out.  But not before the son had then thrown him into a little stream running inside their property.   Eric arranged for the husband to be taken to the health center where a doctor checked him over, we were able to get him clean, dry clothes from the donations...thanks to all of your donations we have these things available!  

The police arrested the son and he was in jail for the night....so the old man was safe to go home.
We are going to be talking to the lawyer tomorrow and see what we can do to protect the father from this abusive son.
I am not sure what avenues are open to us and what the parents will agree to do. They may be scared to take action against him.
But we will see what we can do.

Sharon Smart-Poage
MAYAN FAMILIES
Panajachel,
Guatemala.
Web:  www.mayanfamilies.org

Update on FA 90 - Mario and Marta Still Need Medicine!

Hi Everyone,
In March we posted about FA90 Mario and Marta Can't treat their diabetes alone.
They still need assistance with medicine.

Here is an update:
This lovely couple is still struggling to buy their medicine.
All the money they earn goes towards feeding their family and paying off all the medical expenses that have piled up over the past couple of years.

If you would like to this family, Mario is in great need of medicine for his diabetes and Marta needs a new pair of glasses. She has been without a proper pair of glasses for a couple of months. The cost of Mario's medications and treatment each month is $180. The cost of a new pair of glasses for Marta is U$100.

Any donation, large or small, would make a wonderful difference to this lovely family who constantly have to choose between buying food and buying medication.

To read their complete story or for more information on how to help them, please visit:

http://familyaidprogram.blogspot.com/2011/06/update-mario-and-marta-need-medicine.html

or

http://mayanfamiliesconnectionguatemala.blogspot.com/2011/03/mario-and-marta-cant-treat-their.html

Thank you!