Cancun Announces New Residential Assistance Facility for the Elderly

Before the end of this year, DIF of Benito Juárez will open the first public assistance housing facility for the elderly.

The home will provide a place for elderly person to stay and receive appropriate care in the event of abuse or abandonment and help for those with no resources.

Flavio Carlos Rosado, director of the agency, indicated that the property is located in region 9 and is the site that used to house at risk or abandoned children and teens The children formerly housed in this facility were transferred to a new facility donated by the Palace Foundation in January 2021.

“A loan agreement was signed with the Foundation and on January 25 of this year, the girls, boys and adolescents were transferred to a home that will offer them an impressive quality of life. They have a multi-purpose activity court for sports, a pool and almost 11 thousand square meters of land. ”, he said.

As a result of this change, it was requested that the property be repurposed to accommodate the elderly. Modifications were made to make space for 30 people who find themselves in need of housing and care, Aside from the rooms, other adaptation have been made in the home to facilitate mobility and assure their care and safety.

“In the second half of March, they gave us what was achieved with the “rounding up program” in the grocery stores and the work began. Right now we are finishing and we hope that in the first weeks of August the work will be completed,” he said.

According to the interview, this will be the first public space to house and care for the elderly. Previously, this weight fell to civil associations such as Ciudad de la Alegría.

The National Institute of Geriatrics (INGER) estimates that one in six elders will suffer from discriminatory acts due to prejudices associated with their age. Stereotypes associated with older people are those of greater fragility, dependency, physical and mental deterioration.

A study carried out by Yale University indicates that this type of negative stereotyping actually leads to lower levels of autonomy, productivity and self esteem. This can result in health problems such as cardiovascular stress and even heart damage.

Source: SIPSE