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Emergency Preparedness for Seniors During the Holidays

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The needs of the elderly are great and have always been a challenge. To be unable to meet expenses with income is many folks’ problem but for my clients and prospective clients it’s through no fault of their own.

On Christmas Eve an unnamed individual was busily and excitedly preparing for the Christmas Day celebration of their Lord Jesus Christ’s birthday. It is a very special event in millions of people’s lives and for this person it is always an extra special holiday. Pleasing other people is a priority, family and those close to family, even more so. At 80 years old the memories of Christmases on Grandma’s/Grandpa’s farm will always be the fondest memories of Christmas. A doll wished for and prayed for after many Christmases finally arrived. Addressed as coming directly from Santa and labels of happy thoughts from the North Pole. How much fun is it to be Santa yourself to someone that has been praying and wishing for a special gift.

This year a request came through for our senior to provide a special and often sought after dish for Christmas dinner. This would be the easiest gift to produce as it was a recipe past down by word of mouth and hands-on training. The problem is there is a burning desire to give more. Something for everyone, that they knew and that they could show appreciation and love to. In the scurry and hurry of the excitement one can forget that at eighty somethings are beyond their ability. Stirring the ingredients to make that special fudge for friends or lifting up the pot to pour into the mold, running to the store quickly to get more fluff or chocolate chips. A lifelong partner is a blessing. But, without a partner or anyone to be there for you things can happen.

It was late afternoon Christmas Eve, and a nature call was just not needed but not to be ignored. The race to the bathroom nearby was a no brainer. Toilet handrails were installed for safety which made getting up and down easy. However, with one shoulder replaced and the other shoulder in pain most of the time the handrails were not as helpful but non the less a blessing to have. In trying to sit the left arm gave way and throw our octogenarian to the floor. In the process of falling the helpful handrail twisted and hit the toilet tank so hard that the tank broke. On the floor and water rushing past the feeling of unconsciousness or a temporary blackout was not ruled out. The fill valve not knowing the tank was broke continued to try to refill the tank thus adding more water to the floor. In an effort for our 80-year-old to get up a continuous of several slip and falls ensued. Alone and helpless the only way to get help was to get up. Whoever thought a medic alert system would be needed yet? Hindsight is 20/20. After what seemed like hours our victim was able to get up and get to a phone which summed immediate response from neighbors and friends. With the main water shut off and our octogenarian safely seated the second emergency was to bail water. With volunteers helping as much as possible a 24-hour restoration company was summed. It was Christmas Eve and getting anyone to answer was near impossible. However, the volunteers where a tremendous asset and when the restoration company finally responded it was mostly the carpets that were sopping wet. The restoration company had no extraction equipment and tried to use dehumidifiers and fans to help. That was a useless effort for carpets soaked with water. As they were asked to leave a carpet cleaning company was summed and immediately nearly 90% of the water from the carpets was removed. Hard floors were washed and dried. A second and experienced restoration company was hired and immediately began measuring the percentage of water left and spent three days ensuring the home was dry and safe.

Our senior citizen spent 4 days in the hospital and another three days away from home waiting for the house to be certified safe and livable. The great news is there are no broken bones or sever concussions but none the less a slight concussion with lots of bodily harm, lots of disappointment, sadness and tons of stress. Christmas passed and new years was just another day. This is a true story, and the point is that our hero had resources and funds to cover all the expenses including immediate expenses which ran into the thousands of dollars. So why is this event so valuable to record? Because it has happened to young families that lived in simular situations with no money for restoration companies or carpet cleaning companies and home insurance policies with $10,000.00 deductible just to meet the mortgage companies demand. Rental Insurance policies that elapsed due to the inability to earn a livable wage even with two jobs.

Folks, in our 10 years, we at HPLA Charities we have recruited wonderful and loving volunteers to help in situations like this where families had no reserves to deal with these emergencies and accidents which happen through no fault to their own. The replacement cost of basic resources is there to help because of you. You that contribute to human needs not just to welcome signs for the local community. You are the saviors as are the volunteers of HPLA Charities. We don’t have a paid staff nor take any donation away from those we help. Next time you give a donation ask if your donation is going to pay the $100,000/yr director first and the desperate folks they preach to help second?

Our octogenarian is healing, on oxygen and homebound for a while but thankful for no broken bones and is still trying to send out those gifts that got put on hold. A total remodel project to equip the bathroom to handicap standards is in process as well as a medic alert bracelet. A caregiver will always be close at hand and maybe help stir the ingredients of that make up that special fudge.

For now have a Happy New Year. May God provide you with a safe and blessed 2026 and beyond. To respond to our call for help please trust www.hplacharites.org/donate as a channel to send us money. It is a tax-deductible donation for those of you who are blessed to need one. FYI, all donations go through PayPal before being distributed to HPLA.

I am Robert L. Flores Chairman and would appreciate your sponsorship and partnership in leading the organization in 2026. It is time for this Octogenarian to pass on the ruins. Blessings

I AM PROUD OF MY HERITAGE

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Marisol had always thought of her heritage as something folded neatly in the back of a drawer—beautiful, but rarely touched. She was born in the United States, spoke Spanish with the careful pauses of someone who learned it in kitchens and living rooms, not classrooms, and carried her Mexican roots like a quiet ember in her chest. It wasn’t until her grandmother, Abuela Rosa, passed away that the ember began to glow.

The day after the funeral, Marisol found herself in the old adobe house in the small town where her mother grew up. The air smelled faintly of cinnamon and earth, as if the walls themselves had absorbed decades of cafecito and rain. In the corner of the living room sat a wooden chest, its surface carved with swirling vines and flowers.

Her mother told her it had belonged to her great-grandfather, a campesino who had worked the fields until his hands were as cracked as the soil. “He brought it from Michoacán,” her mother said, running her fingers over the carvings. “Everything important went inside.”

Marisol knelt and opened the chest. Inside were layers of history: a rebozo (a Mexican woman’s shawl) woven in deep indigo, smelling faintly of smoke; a bundle of letters tied with twine, their ink faded to a soft brown; a small clay figurine of a jaguar, its painted spots chipped with age.

She picked up the rebozo and draped it over her shoulders. The fabric was heavier than she expected, warm, as if it remembered the women who had worn it before her. She imagined her great-grandmother wrapping it around herself on cool mornings, walking to the market with a basket of mangoes balanced on her hip. The letters were written in looping Spanish, words of love and longing exchanged between her great-grandfather and great-grandmother when he traveled north for work. One line caught her eye: “Aunque la tierra esté seca, nuestras raíces siempre encontrarán agua.” Even if the land is dry, our roots will always find water.

Marisol felt something shift inside her. She had always thought of heritage as a story told in the past tense, but here it was—alive, breathing, woven into her skin. She realized that her identity wasn’t just about where she was born or how fluent her Spanish was. It was about the resilience in her family’s hands, the songs her grandmother hummed while cooking, the way the scent of masa could make her feel at home anywhere. That night, she stepped outside into the courtyard. The stars above were sharp and bright, the same ones her ancestors had looked up to generations ago. She whispered a quiet promise to them—that she would carry their stories forward, not folded away in a drawer, but worn openly, like the rebozo on her shoulders. And in that moment, she understood heritage isn’t something you inherit once. It’s something you keep choosing, every single day.

This story is nothing, but words generated by AI. Sadly, has an underlying theme that begs the question, are we proud to be next generation of our Hispanic ancestors or not? Being an American does not remove your genealogy it only gives you the privilege of being proud of it or forgetting it. Latinos have been and continue to be a loving and giving people. For those closest to them sharing food and other resources is a given. It helps them survive together. That goes from the bario to the rest of the community. Those that have the least are the ones who give the most. Always thinking of others less fortunate.

HPLA Charities aka Habitaciones Para Latinos Association is sharing our resources to those in need. Our heritage is that of La Raza. We do so much more because of those who donate to our organization without expecting anything in return. Over the years we have seen tremendous success in making life better for many. Some are stilling hand to mouth but are no worse because of our help. Your help.

Its giving Tuesday 2025. Can we count on you to keep helping more people who are hurting through no fault of their own. Use www.hplacharities.org/donate