This just in: HelpAge International just posted a press release I drafted announcing that it will take over day-to-day management of the Municipal Nursing Home in Port-au-Prince.
"All I want is a cup of coffee in the morning."
This photo of I took of nursing home resident Elie went up alongside the press release . He’s one of my faves — looks like someone carved his features into an apple and let it sit on the window sill for a few weeks…or years.
The Municipal Nursing Home is the place that got so much media coverage early on (e.g., Gary Tuchman, CNN, Haiti’s seniors need help, January 20, and Associated Press, too), with images of residents with no shelter, food, water or care for several days.
It was hard to picture it till I actually saw it.
Tent living ain’t easy at any age. Throw in some open infections, a few mentally disabled, some folks who can’t walk easily, and dirty diapers that need regular changing, and it really is heart breaking. Plus the upcoming rains. You try wheeling through an 8-inch deep mud puddle.
A week after CNN Gary Tuchman’s original story, he wrote a follow-up post on Anderson Cooper 360 blog, “Seniors in Haiti No Longer Alone“:
The nursing home director was there, but only one doctor made sporadic visits, and he had no medicine. Well, we paid a visit there this weekend, and I’m pleased to say that after our story, the International Red Cross and Haitian Red Cross set up a headquarters under a tent next to the seniors.
The Red Cross folks are great, but they are just a literal and figurative bandaid, focusing mostly on basic first aid for the 2,700 other displaced Port-au-Prince residents that have set up camp on nursing home grounds.
But for the 75 nursing home residents, we now are starting to see some real progress, as described in that release. Even more good news: The HelpAge International emergency program manager brought in a Habitat for Humanity engineer yesterday, who deemed the men’s ward fit for habitation — so some residents may move back in there. The others will be moved to higher ground in preparation for the upcoming rainy season.
We all want to cheer and high-five with this news described in the press release. But the reality is a long road lies ahead to get these older people the appropriate care, shelter and privacy they need and deserve. The team is working relentlessly on their behalf, as well as the thousands of other older people adversely affected by the devestating earthquake.
Elie is a beautiful spokesperson of this crisis — except I can’t believe that he is 90!!! I would have guessed 70 or so, thus this clearly shows the hardiness of the Haitian culture.
Congrats on the AP press release — answering so many of those questions of basic survival. Wonderful stories for such an important period in Haiti’s survival. Thank you for telling these stories as the rest of the world is focusing on the Olympics, and not the suffering in this needy country.