{"id":268769,"date":"2023-04-27T16:04:08","date_gmt":"2023-04-27T20:04:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/?p=268769"},"modified":"2023-04-27T16:04:08","modified_gmt":"2023-04-27T20:04:08","slug":"who-will-take-care-of-the-elderly-who-stay-behind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/cuba\/society-cuba\/population\/who-will-take-care-of-the-elderly-who-stay-behind\/","title":{"rendered":"Who will take care of the elderly who stay behind?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two years ago, Annelys<\/span>1<\/b><\/sup>,<\/span>\u00a0a resident of the La Vig\u00eda neighborhood in Camag\u00fcey, agreed with her siblings to take over the care of the family\u2019s elders. It happened before her younger sister emigrated to Spain to do postgraduate studies. By then, the eldest of the three siblings had already emigrated to Ecuador, in 2015, and from there he continued on to the United States.<\/span><\/p>\n

Both agreed to help Annelys financially to care for the bedridden maternal grandparents and the parents of the three.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2022, at age 89, Annelys\u2019s maternal grandfather died. Meanwhile, her grandmother\u2019s physical condition continued to deteriorate. She would end up losing awareness of reality because of Alzheimer\u2019s. Annelys\u2019s parents, the primary caregivers for the elderly, have their own afflictions. Her father is a prostate cancer survivor, and her mother deals with circulatory problems and high blood pressure.<\/span><\/p>\n

It seemed logical for Annelys, who lived a couple of blocks from her parents, to be in charge of helping them. Especially since one of her immediate plans did not include emigrating. \u201cMy husband and I were clear that we were not going to subject the children to the madness of the journey with the coyotes. If we traveled it had to be legal, leaving and arriving by plane. I also did not agree with him going ahead and after a few years trying to claim us. I have seen very few marriages survive that separation,\u201d she explains.<\/span><\/p>\n

Things changed last January with the entry into force of the new parole program to emigrate to the United States. Annelys\u2019s father-in-law, a U.S. citizen, offered to sponsor the family so they could travel to the United States. She hesitated for weeks before raising the possibility with her parents. Even after doing so, getting their \u201cgo-ahead\u201d and completing the bureaucratic process, waiting only for the final clearance to leave, she has a hard time coming to terms with the idea.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey told me I can\u2019t put my life off, but to a certain extent, the feeling I have is that I\u2019m leaving them alone for who knows how long,\u201d she confesses.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cubans in times of \u201cparole\u201d: the island\u2019s new migratory experience<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n