Day-to-Day Life

Introduction to the Daily Activities at Asunción de Maria Seniors’ Home 

in Guadalajara, Mexico

Originally posted on Sunday, December 7, 2014 

¡Viva México!  I’m now in Guadalajara, visiting the Asilo de Ancianos—Asunción de María (in English—the Assumption of Mary Seniors’ Home).  I’m staying with the director, Sr. Felisa, a missionary nun from Spain who is a senior herself.  Sr. Felisa is incredibly joyful, and showers everyone around her with the joy of God’s love.  Those who work with her and the seniors under her care simply call her “Madre” (mother). 

With Sr. Felisa of the Apostolic Missionaries of Charity, Spain

Sr. Felisa has done a lot in the 12 years she’s been here.  When she was visiting the sick, she discovered the need for long-term care for seniors in extreme need, and opened a home for up to 20 elderly women who had no place else to go because they had no families or their families were unable to care for them.  Some of them were on the street, a sad occurrence which is becoming more common as the number of seniors increases because of the poverty resulting from the lack of pensions.  In this first page of my blog, I would like to share with you Sr. Felisa’s wonderful work with her senior ladies at the Asunción de Maria Seniors’ Home.

Assumption of Mary picture in the Seniors' Home

The sign outside:  "Do whatever He tells you to do"

 The Seniors’ Home doesn’t look like much from the street, but it couldn’t be more welcoming.

View of the street

Another view of the street

Volunteer Pancho greets Sr. Felisa at the door

The ladies greet me very warmly

   This work is not easy.  The older people become, the more health issues can develop, so these ladies need a lot of care.  This care starts with nutritious food which is easy on the stomach:

A great cook at work 

Pancakes--just like at home

Chicken and rice with lots of chili!

The cook is wonderful, and for me, she also prepares coffee and special chili to spice things up even more.  Every day, Sr. Felisa eats the same food and sits at the same table as the seniors.  One of the ladies explained that this means a lot to them, because in another seniors’ home where she had been, the matron was served different food at a different table, while the food she had to eat had been rummaged through by many mice.  Sr. Felisa’s presence at the table tells everyone that the food is truly good.  The ladies also told me that in Asunción de María Seniors’ Home, they get a lot of personal attention, and everyone is very good to them.

Sr. Felisa at the table with the ladies

It's a great breakfast

Administrator Jaime is very hands-on in the work

This home has two stories, with rooms downstairs mostly for those who need walkers.  The sick and/or bedridden receive food upstairs, while those who are steady on their feet help each other up and down the stair

Helping each other down the stairs

The ladies were proud to show me their rooms, which although are shared, are clean and have space for clothes and some personal things.  One ladies told me about being bitten by rats during the night in another seniors’ home, but she doesn’t worry about that here and sleeps very well.  The ladies said they want for nothing in Asunción de Maria Seniors’ Home.

One of the rooms for three women

Some personal things make the room feel like home

 After breakfast, Sr. Felisa leads the women in daily prayer.

             

Sr. Felisa leads the rosary

The women enjoy praying together.  The homes have no central heating and Mexico can get chilly in the winter.

Some weeks, Sr. Felisa brings Holy Communion for the ladies; other times, a priest comes for Mass.  Sr. Felisa also makes sure she visits those in bed.

Sr. Felisa gives Holy Communion

The sick are always very happy with Sr. Felisa's visits

 The ladies also get help with personal care, such as bathing, from very caring workers.

Jaime, a terrific young man who is the Asunción de Maria Seniors’ Home administrator, keeps the medication organized for the ladies so that everyone gets what the doctor has ordered for them.

             

There is also time for personal activities the ladies enjoy, such as knitting and needlepoint.

One of the ladies who enjoys needlepoint

I can't do this, but the ladies do it well

Beautiful work!

Another beautiful lady who enjoys knitting

Very nice!

Upstairs or downstairs, the women are happy together and happy with Sr. Felisa.

Talking with Sr. Felisa

Special attention

Happy group upstairs 

Sr. Felisa often leads the ladies in a song or two:

Some of these ladies are also good dancers!  In the videos, one of the ladies is trying to teach me some line dancing while Sr. Felisa learns how to use video:

Only one of us is ready for "Dancing with the Stars"!

My dancing skills are about as good as my Spanish, but I have a great teacher!

Although their days are happier now, these women have suffered a lot.  As both an American and a Canadian, I cannot imagine what it would be like to be a senior with no family, no pension, no help, no love, and no options other than a home with rats or the street.  However, they are very much like this rose from the Asunción de Maria Seniors’ Home garden—getting closer to the end of their lives, perhaps, but still beautiful, and still an important part of the garden of the Lord.

A little garden

One rose, bent over with age, but still beautiful

The women are here because, in his goodness, God has provided for them through the hands of Sr. Felisa and through the generosity of so many who are helping her.  Here at Asunción de Maria Seniors’ Home, they are truly loved.

In the next page of my blog for Asunción de Maria Seniors’ Home, I'll share with you more of the ways that the seniors here experience God's love through many dedicated volunteers and donors.  I'll also show you some special activities that are taking place as we prepare for Christmas.  Finally, I'll show you two special visitors:  my old roommate in Vancouver, Leslie, who is from Guadalajara, and Eduardo from Proyecto de Vida, the project for abused and abandoned children that I spent time with recently (see my Proyecto de Vida blog at proyectodevidamexico.blogspot.mx).  Until then, may God bless you and keep you in his care!