María Cruz emigrated at the age of 62, and her recent statements encapsulate the paradox faced by thousands of elderly Cuban adults in Miami, forced to reinvent themselves in a city that is not always familiar to them: "I feel lonely, even though I’m not."
His testimony was published by the Instagram profile @mimaypipo.oficial, a space dedicated to sharing real stories of elderly people in Miami and Broward. It generated a massive response among the Cuban community.
María speaks with a disarming honesty: "At 62, I learned to drive here, but what I didn't learn was English. I am alone now, living by myself, which is something I'm not used to. The kids have their own lives going on."
What weighs on him the most is not just the physical distance, but the loss of an entire way of life in Cuba.
"This country has its advantages and its disadvantages. We are an open people who offer friendship to everyone. Neighbors are like family. Not here; it’s very tough to be alone," he says.
In Cuba, María knew all the neighbors in her building; she could knock on any door, and there was always someone looking out for her and her children.
"I miss the familiarity of knowing that no matter what, you could go to a neighbor’s house and they would take care of you. They were always attentive to you and your children if anything happened," she recalls.
In Miami, that informal network does not exist in the same way and young people are able to cope with the challenge better than the elderly. Older adults often feel "abandoned," despite having a good quality of life.
"Although your children want to come every day, they can't because between work and the distances, they can't manage it all. Even here in Miami, they are far away," she explains. To combat loneliness, María turns to television and phone games: "I try to set aside sadness and think of good things."
Precisely, the profile @mimaypipo.oficial promotes this type of activity as a tool to keep the minds of older adults active, through cognitive challenges and educational games that help combat isolation.
María's testimony resonated on a collective level in the comments, where dozens of Cubans shared similar experiences. One user wrote: "I reached nearly 61 years old, I'm learning to live, it's true, it's hard."
Another, 62 years old, described a different but painful kind of loneliness: "I work every day, I come home and the loneliness is sad. No one calls, no one asks how you are, and family becomes individual."
Among the most shared advice for this Cuban grandmother, one stood out to more than a hundred users: "Go out for a walk, go to church, there are many groups there. Don't isolate yourself, please."
Others suggested volunteering, adult day centers, or learning the bus routes to gain independence.
The phenomenon described by María has a considerable demographic dimension. Migration Policy Institute points out that the average age of Cuban immigrants in the United States is 55 years, well above the 47 years of other immigrant groups, making the Cuban community one of the oldest in the country.
In Florida, more than 800,000 elderly adults born abroad represent 21.2% of the population aged 65 and over, with a high concentration in Miami-Dade.
A comment on the video bluntly captured what many feel: "This is not a country for the old or the young. Both are kept tucked away so that nothing happens to them."
Filed under: