On Instagram, a young Cuban woman, known as "meli creating with the heart," shared a video highlighting the dire circumstances of her neighbor Ani, a 65-year-old woman who single-handedly cares for her bedridden son and elderly mother. The family struggles without basic necessities like a mattress or cooking pots.
"Today I'm speaking up to reveal the harsh reality of some neighbors I've known my whole life. I knew they were going through tough times, but I never imagined it was this bad," the young woman stated in the video she posted last Wednesday.
Ani, who spent 40 years in the workforce, had to give up her job to look after her two relatives. "I had to quit working to help my son and mother. There's no one else to care for them," she explained on camera.
Her son, Leonardo, aged 46, suffered multiple brain infections, leaving his left side paralyzed. Later, chikungunya affected his right side, rendering him unable to speak or walk. Ani's mother is afflicted with cerebral ischemias, which Ani says "worsen each day."
The video reveals the family's harsh living conditions: they sleep on bare springs and cardboard, lack a refrigerator, and rely on borrowed or broken cooking pots and a borrowed washing machine. "I only have a gas tank, but nothing to cook with," Ani lamented.
The content creator brought some initial supplies, including a raincoat initially donated for a deceased girl named Anita, with her family's permission to redirect it to someone in greater need. "Witnessing such beloved neighbors in this situation shattered my soul," she confessed.
In the video's description, the young woman outlined urgent needs: "I just ask for a decent mattress for them to sleep on, and I'll bring them lots of food, especially preserved goods because they don't have a fridge or pots to cook with."
Widespread Neglect of the Elderly in Cuba
Ani's plight is not an isolated case. Many elderly Cubans face neglect and hardship in a country where the regime admitted in March 2026 that it lacks sufficient funds to support all vulnerable people.
The Family Care Service receives seven to eight new applications daily, increasing from 59,000 beneficiaries in 2023 to around 67,000 by mid-2025. The social assistance budget for 2026 was a meager 5,981 million Cuban pesos, roughly equivalent to $14,600, a paltry sum given the demand's magnitude.
About 39% of Cuban retirees receive the minimum pension of 1,528 pesos per month, an amount inadequate for basic food, hygiene, and medical needs. The mass emigration of young people has left households and care networks empty, leaving thousands of elderly without support.
Similar cases of Cubans rallying to assist families in crisis have surged on social media, where citizen solidarity often steps in where the government fails—or chooses not—to provide.
The young woman concluded her video with a heartfelt message to her neighbor: "Ani, I'm raising my voice for you. Stay strong."
The Struggles of Elderly Care in Cuba
What challenges do elderly caregivers face in Cuba?
Elderly caregivers in Cuba often face significant challenges, such as lack of financial resources, inadequate social support, and insufficient governmental assistance, leaving them to care for their loved ones without basic necessities.
How are Cuban citizens helping each other amid these hardships?
Many Cuban citizens are stepping up to help their neighbors in need by organizing support through social media, providing food, clothing, and other essential items to families facing severe hardships.