Visiting the Homes of the Elderly

Posted 5/29/2011

Yesterday we visited the home of an elderly woman and her daughter. The visit was emotionally challenging because both of these women are crippled by disease. The mother is confined to a wheel chair because she has severe arthritis in her hips, and the daughter has a chronic degenerative illness that her father died from several years ago. Although these women appeared to live in a fairly comfortable home, they suffer because they cannot find work and live in constant fear of their health and economic problems. There is no cure for the daughter’s disease, a sad reality that lingers over this family.

The mother and her daughter came across as hostile. They expressed frustration that they can barely afford to pay their rent, cannot find work, and cannot leave their house to buy groceries or basic necessities as the public transportation in Mar del Plata is not handicap accessible. When our group leader commented, “I am sensing your anger,” the daughter responded, “I am not angry. I am just scared.” She proceeded to burst into tears. This moment impacted me greatly. We felt sorry for the plight of these women. We were painfully aware of their desperation.

Although these women do not receive a lot of economic help from the JDC because they are technically above the poverty line, their inability to work makes them eligible for some help. The JDC pays for some of their transportation to and from S.U.I.M., the local Jewish community center in Mar Del Plata. Additionally, the JDC gives them a stipend for part of their rent and pays for their medications. Yet, these women live in such hard conditions that, even with the help they receive, their situation is hard for them to accept. This made us realize the difficulties of allocating funds to a community with such vast needs.

-Lauren & Andrew