How to Help Older Adults in Haiti

A horrid description follows of the plight of a older adults in Haiti from Michelle Faul of the Canadian Press  . . . Below is information on how you can help

On the grounds of the Municipal home for the elderly in Port Au Prince, Haiti last Thursday, old people lay listlessly in beds out in the open with sheets smeared with excrement, surrounded by hundreds of people living in makeshift tents. One man wore just a T-shirt, his private parts exposed. A woman, just skin and bones, held her head. A body lay in the debris of the nearby nursing home.

"What can you say?" said Louis Belanger, a spokesman for Oxfam Great Britain. "It is very often the case that the strongest and fittest get help. …

The older people of Haiti are still in dire need of help and will be for the foreseeable future. If you haven’t given already, please consider donating to HelpAge International (HAI).

The International Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (IAHSA) and HAI are global collaborative partners dedicated to helping elders in the developing world. HAI is the only relief and development organization focused on the needs of older persons in developing countries and has had a presence in Haiti for eight years. They work with local partners to support local people and use local resources to build long term capacity and reduce dependency.

HAI is uniquely situated to meet the needs of Haitian older people on the ground, right now. That is why IAHSA and Ecumen’s national trade association AAHSA are joining forces with HAI. Their efforts will address the specific needs of older people – food, water, medicine and mobility aids, emotional support and shelter.  HelpAge partners with several nonprofits on the ground in Haiti to help older adults. Their partners help Haitians receive all sorts of resources, from water to healthcare.

You can learn more and contribute here.