DESTINATION:
MEXICO
Aging and Emerging Societies
AGER 5910
Spring Break 2009
Sayula, Jalisco
Mexico
We were greeted by retirees from
the States
A welcome meal our first night
Apango, Jalisco,
Mexico
Almost 800 people live in Apango.
there’s a mixture of extreme
wealth and poverty. They seemed
joyful for our visit and opened
their doors to all of us. We
surveyed three homes extensively
in different quarters (one of the
family was expecting a baby) and
later decided to mount a solar
panel on one of them on our next
visit. The others also received food
and non-perishable items on our
next visit.
The first of three houses had no running water and only one bare bulb
The second house had no running water and no electricity. This was
home for nine people and many chickens and burros
The third house had received assistance from the government for a new
roof. There was also close knit extended family to help
Guzman, Jalisco
Mexico
In Guzman, we met the Zapolans (indigenous people of Guzman) at the
DIF center and presented at the cultural center. We were received by
staffs of the center and the Mayor’s wife
Apango – Elder
Cowboy!!
Local who came out to
visit with us as we
walked the streets
Aging with dignity..
Bugambilias Adult Day
Care Center in Guadalajara225 visitors daily.
Bugambilias Adult Day Care with rehabilitation , clinic assessment by various
professional, and senior center activities –pool table, dancing, singing , crafts,
painting, computer lab, etc.
Mercedes Martinez , Coordinator in
Mexico. Everado Comacho leader of
movement to establish graduate
program in gerontology at ITESO.
Discussing the future aging issues
in Mexico with representatives from
ITESO University
Stan Ingman, UNT , Everado
Comacho, Chair, Department of
Psycholology, Health, Community at
ITESO and Judith Anders, RN, UNT
ITESO - Architecture is an art work
that expresses space creatively and
compels humanity toward perfection
Colegio Once Mexico
Symbols represent ancient Mayan number
system, each bar equals five and the circle
indicates one for a total of eleven
Very intimate group of parents who care about their elderly and the future
of their aging and how it will affect Mexico in the coming years
Solar Panel
Trial Run
Learning how to put the solar system together prior to going to Apango.inverter, solar panel, fuse, battery, etc.
Fall prevention
demonstration by
Charles Ewing . Some
50 residents from
Sayula attended
Pato our local assistant
and colleague in Mexico
explaining how the
solar system works
Session was held at the
Community Hall at our
hotel on Friday night
All 11 graduate students sat up front
to take questions and make
presentations. Margaret Bate
dressed in her tradition outfit from
Cameron.
Getting the audience involved Adrienne Jackson get audience up
and exercising
Installation day!
Attaching to the roof
It works!!
Creating a rack to put solar panel on
roof, using PVC pipe. Working
together
Soot covered from indoor cooking
Seniors from 60 to over 100 meet with
team at clinic in Apango. Question:
How to live longer?
As one lady said I am over 100.
Not so how much. Ask my sister
she is 98 !
It’s a boy!! New mother in first
house. Team brought baby supplies
for new mother and baby on
Saturday.
Two additional children in family .
Six to Ten dollars per day for a day
work in fields does not go far.
We would like to thank all those that made this trip possible.
Our Translator Frances Rizo
Invaluable Partner Eduardo “Pato”
Contreras
Our Representative Mercedes &
Alejandro Martinez
Many Thanks to Veronique Ingman