Senior citizens are abandoned by their families in deplorable conditions on the streets of Cancun.
More than 20 abandoned older adults have been sheltered so far this year by municipal authorities after being found in vulnerable conditions in junkyards or the middle of the street. The most recent cases occurred on Saturday, April 19th; and Tuesday, April 22nd.
The Specialized Group for Domestic and Gender-Based Violence (GEAVIG), led by Professor Mónica Sanjuan Ruiz, has provided care to 22 senior citizens so far this year: six women and 16 men, all in neglected and precarious conditions.
The affected individuals were transferred to different hospitals for medical care, and once their health status was confirmed, attempts were made to locate their relatives. However, lacking support networks, they were referred to assisted living facilities run by the Municipal DIF System.
Unofficially, it was reported that many of these older adults were abandoned by their children or loved ones. Some were cared for by neighbors or acquaintances who, due to a lack of resources, requested the intervention of the authorities.
Most were found in unsanitary places, surrounded by garbage, cockroaches, rodents, and without basic living conditions, forcing them to be relocated to safe spaces.
On Saturday, April 19, in Cancun’s Supermanzana 230, an 86-year-old woman was sheltered after reporting domestic violence. Her neighbors assisted her until GEAVIG personnel and Red Cross paramedics arrived. She was subsequently transferred to the DIF Senior Citizens’ Home, where she remains under medical care.
Another recent case was reported on Tuesday, April 22nd, in Supermanzana 203, in the Cuna Maya neighborhood, where residents of the area raised concerns about the situation of 75-year-old Don Lucio, abandoned by his children. The older adult, who suffers from diabetes, suffered an injury that became infected due to lack of medical attention.
He is currently hospitalized in critical condition. GEAVIG authorities have informed the State Attorney General’s Office to initiate legal action after the victim revealed he has two children who have left him abandoned for months.
TYT Newsroom
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