Elderly Cuban Woman Rescued by Neighbors After Being Abandoned in San Miguel del Padrón

An elderly woman known as Lucy, living in the Los Ángeles neighborhood of San Miguel del Padrón in Havana, was moved to a care facility in the Jacomino area following a public outcry initiated by her neighbor, Alfonso Vera. Vera highlighted her dire situation through a Facebook video depicting her extreme neglect.

Health officials have acknowledged that had the situation been delayed by just two more days, Lucy might not have survived. The case was brought to public attention on Tuesday, May 5, when Vera uploaded a video over two minutes long, showing the elderly woman suffering severe pain, with poor foot condition, and living in unsanitary conditions plagued by bedbugs.

Vera accused state institutions of having known about Lucy's condition for a long time without taking action. "Some say one thing, others say another. The delegate made her arrangements, the social workers did too, as did those from the care home, but the fact is that Ms. Lucy is dying from bedbugs and neglect by the public bodies involved," he wrote in the video's original description.

Speaking on camera, Lucy shared that she had no family to assist her. "No one of mine, no one," she replied when asked if she had any relatives to rely on. She also noted that although institutions visited her, they failed to resolve her issues: "I saw the doctor here the other day, writing, I don't know. The Social Welfare person came too, and so did another."

The impact of Vera's posts and the dedication of the neighbors achieved what months of institutional visits could not: Lucy's relocation to a care home on Beltrán Avenue in Jacomino.

Nonetheless, the transfer was made using a neighbor's tricycle, as no ambulances were available. Vera pointed out the irony with frustration. "Even though a large Russian oil tanker arrived, there's none for the ambulances," he remarked. His voice can be heard in the video documenting the scene: "They're taking Ms. Lucy. There she is, on a tricycle."

This incident underscores the collapse of Cuba's social welfare system, which is grappling with an unprecedented structural crisis. The country has only 156 nursing homes with 12,697 beds to serve over 1.7 million registered retirees, and 51 municipalities lack any elder care services.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Security itself admitted in March 2026 that "there are no resources to support vulnerable people," while pensions fail to exceed 4,000 pesos monthly, less than $10 at informal exchange rates.

International media have highlighted the neglect of the elderly in Cuba, a situation exacerbated by the massive emigration of over 1.4 million Cubans between 2019 and 2025, leaving 17.4% of older adults without close family to care for them.

Similar documented cases, such as an elderly man living at a bus stop in Mayabeque or an unattended elderly man with a fractured hip in a Perico care home, confirm that institutional neglect of the elderly in Cuba is not an isolated issue but a systemic one.

Lucy owes her survival to her neighbors. Without their intervention, according to health authorities, she would not have made it to the care facility.