Cuban Elders Struggle Amid Economic Crisis

0:00It's April 27th. This is Canada News Today, AI-powered stories from your city. Elderly folks in Cuba are hitting hard times from the ongoing economic crisis, leading on church meals for survival. Places like the Church of the Holy Spirit in Ophavana serve up simple lunches three times a week, ground meat, rice, beans, crackers, and strong. Coffee to nearly 50 seniors at a time. Their pensions top out around $4-$10 a month, barely covering basics amid skyrocketing prices. The crunch got worse this year after a U.S. oil embargo under President Trump slashed supplies and jacked up shortages. State rations of bread, rice, and beans aren't cutting it anymore, forcing cuts to the subsidized food basket that's been a staple for decades. These seniors, many former teachers, doctors, and engineers who lived through the revolution, Bay of pigs and missile crisis, now sell cigarettes on. Streets or cue for hours just for bread. He was got one of Latin America's oldest populations, almost 26% over 60 by late 2024,

1:04while youth immigration has. Drop the island's residents from $11.1 million to $9.7 million. Loneliness hits deep as young people flee, leaving elders rummaging trash or walking empty streets alone. The government's responding by greenlighting private elder care homes, a big shift from total state control. Just like 84-year-old retired engineer Carmen Casado, keep faith in the system, pointing fingers at the U.S. blockade as the real block, too. Progress, while scraping by on their own.