• Cuba

Overview

Cuba’s life expectancy is nearly identical to the United States due to the quality & accessibility of their healthcare & social programs. During this trip, students will come to understand the level of care available to the elderly as well as the role they play in Cuban Society. 

Your group will meet with local experts at a residence center to learn about geriatric care in Cuba. Students will also have the opportunity to interact with senior citizens to learn how they were impacted by social & political changes during their lifetime. 

Highlights

  • Havana’s City Historian's Office – Discuss social programs & upcoming initiatives to better the lives of Cuba's senior citizens
  • Senior care facility visits – Speak with caregivers about services & listen to patients' recollections of their childhood & experiences during the Revolution
  • Psychological & Sociological Research Center – Learn about the role of senior citizens in Cuban society & the impact they have on Cuban culture.
  • Committee for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) – Meet with the CDR’s community leaders, eager to share the impact that their elders have in their lives
  • Visit a polyclinic – Speak with a local physician to learn about Cuba's universal healthcare system & how it affects the elderly

Itinerary

Day 1: Havana

Upon arrival, receive a warm, Cuban welcome by your guide who will show you some of the city's sites on the way to the hotel. Once checked in, your students will attend a brief orientation about the country & your schedule for the week. 

The evening will be spent dining at a local restaurant, where you'll enjoy a welcome dinner filled with traditional Cuban foods. The evening is free to explore the city. 

Day 2: Havana

After breakfast, enjoy a walk around Old Havana, where you'll visit sites like the Plaza de Armas & the Old Square. As you stroll through town, you'll notice a mesmerizing mixture of old & new architectural styles.

Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before meeting with specialists from the City Historian's Office. Here, you'll discuss social programs & upcoming initiatives to better the lives of Cuba's senior citizens. Afterward, meet with managers & patients at an elderly care facility called Convento de Belen to learn about the facility's programs & upcoming projects. 

Day 3: Havana

Begin your day with a visit to the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples. Your guide will give you a brief overview of Cuba's history & relationship with the US. You'll then meet with specialists at the Psychological & Sociological Research Center to discuss the important role senior citizens play within Cuban culture. 
After lunch, visit with patients at a local elderly care facility. They'll share stories of their childhood & what it was like to grow up during the Cuban Revolution.

Enjoy dinner at a local restaurant & spend the evening at your leisure.

Day 4: Havana - Matanzas

Check out of your hotel & depart for Matanzas, a region located about an hour west of Havana. Meet with a local senior citizens group before visiting a local school, where you'll learn about Cuba's education system from students & professors. Your guide will show you around Matanzas before checking in & eating lunch at your hotel.

You'll have a free afternoon to enjoy the beach, followed by a meeting with members of the CDR (Committee for the Defense of the Revolution). The CDR is made of community leaders, eager to share the impact that their elders have in their lives.

Day 5: Matanzas - Havana

Spend the morning relaxing at the beach in Veradero, then check out of your hotel & grab lunch. Visit a polyclinic to discuss Cuba's universal healthcare system & how it affects the elderly with local physicians. Return to Havana, check into your hotel & enjoy the evening at your leisure.

Day 6: Havana

Spend the day visiting two senior care facilities to talk with patients about the evolution of Cuban culture. Many of these seniors are eager to tell you about their experiences serving in the Revolutionary Armed Forces & the joys of growing up in Cuba. Your guide will lead a  short debriefing at the hotel before your farewell dinner that evening.

Day 7: Havana

Check out of your hotel & prepare for departure.