RESIDENCE FOR SENIOR ADULTS 
BERKANA

Situationcurrent:

Costa Rica currently has approximately 5.2 million inhabitants, of which 9% (just over 450 thousand people) are over 65 years old. Currently, about 150 thousand older adults live with a pension from the non-contributory regime that consists of around 100 thousand colones per month, to cover all of their expenses and a similar number of older adults who currently do not have any type of state aid, but instead They survive with what their family can provide them. The problem is the large number of older adults who live in poverty, in deplorable conditions, where they cannot have their health and care needs covered; older adults who are usually abandoned or whose families do not even have the possibility of providing them with the care they require.

 

Proposal:

The proposal is as follows: Build a Home that develops all the necessary programs for the comprehensive care of older adults, covering all their needs while complying with state requirements for their care.

 

The Home will have the following programs:

• Health care program: It will have different disciplines, including general medicine, nutrition, physical therapy, occupational therapy, social work, nursing and dentistry.

• Social approach program for older adults: This program consists of the integration of the residents of the Home with their family nucleus, in the event that there are no members of the same to count on, it will be included in the volunteer sponsor program to give the emotional support they require.

• Improvement of cognitive status: This will be achieved through different occupational therapy programs, physical activity, and personal care that will be developed at the Home.

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Project beneficiaries:

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• 160 families of older adults: (an average family in Costa Rica has 6 to 7 members, which would indicate more than a thousand indirect beneficiaries). The 160 older adults who would be patients of the Home have families that cannot give them adequate care, for this reason these families would be supported by us assuming the care of their family member, which would allow them to direct the few existing resources to the other members of the Home. your family, as well as improve dedication to other family members who require more attention.

• 150 direct jobs: This project would generate around 150 direct jobs, which would provide financial and economic stability to their respective families and a positive economic impact on the area due to the new purchasing power of the employees.

• 50 indirect jobs: Local businesses would see an uptick in sales since these older adults would receive visits who could consume items from local businesses, as well as volunteers who would consume locally, which stems from the need for more staff. to serve this flow of people. It is also not ruled out that some products that are necessary to take care of the Home may be purchased in local businesses or in the surrounding area.

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Location:

The Berkana project will be located in San Jerónimo de Moravia, San José Costa Rica, an area with easy access and significant proximity to the different social services that the country has.

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Costs:

To carry out this project, an investment of 38 million dollars is required, for 10 years, in which the sustainability of the project alone is projected, through the following actions:

 

Reduction of electricity consumption through the use of solar panels.

The electrical consumption in a Home is very high since it is contemplated from the expenses in the kitchen, laundry, showers and other requirements of the property, based on electrical consumption numbers of other Homes that only use electricity, it is estimated that per elderly adult there are a consumption of ₵ 13,000ºº per month, then for the 160 older adults there would be a monthly consumption of ₵ 2,080,000ºº per month. With the placement of solar panels, a 60% reduction in electricity consumption is estimated, so monthly electricity consumption would be around

₵ 832,200ºº monthly.

  

Reduction of water consumption by reusing water from the treatment plant and using rainwater.

  

Instead of pouring it into the river, the water from the treatment plant would be captured to be reused in toilets and in crops and irrigation systems, which would help reduce the amount of water used, and we will also channel all the water rainwater that can be captured for this same purpose, even for laundry.

  

Water consumption in a home is also very high since it ranges from patient bathrooms, laundry, kitchen, irrigation systems for green areas and crop areas. Based on numbers, the average water consumption per older adult is estimated. at ₵ 10,000ºº per month, then for the 160 older adults there would be a monthly consumption of ₵ 1,600,000ºº per month.

  

With the placement of tanks to store this water, averaging the rainy months with the dry ones, a 25% reduction in water consumption is estimated, so from day 1 of opening the monthly water consumption would be around ₵ 1,200. 000ºº monthly.

  

Production of food supplies on the same land as the Foundation.

  

It is estimated that the daily cost of feeding one toSenior adult is $15 daily distributed over 5 meal times. Within the nutritional plans that older adults have, there is a wide variety of natural products that are easily harvestable, and for the volume of patients it is more feasible for us to grow these foods on our land than to buy them, some of them are corn, fruits, cilantro, lettuce, chayotes and many other vegetables, fruits and/or tubers whose self-production will reduce the bill for food inputs. In addition, if there is a surplus in production, negotiations will be made with local businesses to sell it and raise resources for the Foundation.

  

These products will be used as snacks, or to accompany lunches and dinners. An annual production plan will be made in conjunction with the nutritional plan stipulated by the Nutritionist in charge so that there is an adequate supply throughout the year, so We estimate a cost reduction in the purchase bill of 15% monthly.

  

Sale of Foundation Clinic services to third parties.

 

Part of the self-sustainability programs is to provide services to neighboring communities in all health areas, in a similar way to the San Rafael Comprehensive Clinic, within the objectives is to ensure that instead of attending the EBAIS, people come to control chronic diseases for their control and withdrawal of medications, care for acute illnesses and also the specialty care that our Foundation provides.

  

We have experience in opening and managing a Clinic that is currently a success. This gives us the knowledge to develop its growth projections, which allows me to detail the following data on fundraising.

  

Donations from users or their families (according to their possibilities)

 

A part of the elderly already receives a pension from the C.C.S.S for the non-contributory regime that is based on 75 thousand colones or more. Part of the requirement to assume all their expenses is that they donate their pension to the Foundation, as part of the solidarity contribution. to everything that is going to be offered to them.

 

However, for those who do not have a pension, our Department of Social Work will carry out the procedures to include them and for them to receive this amount to contribute to their maintenance.

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Therefore, an estimate of income is made for this item assuming the minimum amount of the non-contributory regime (₵ 85,000), for the 160 older adults, which gives us an amount of ₵ 13,600,000 per month, which is contemplated starting from the second year assuming the time it takes to include them in the pension system.

 

Obtaining a government subsidy (through CONAPAM) for older adults living in the Home.

 

CONAPAM, a government entity that ensures the well-being of older adults, contemplates a subsidy program for the maintenance of older adults in need through which it pays the included Households an established amount so that they fully care for them.

 

However, these amounts are really insufficient for everything they need, these amounts are:

₵ 350,000 for an independent senior, ₵ 450,000 for a partially dependent senior and

₵ 550,000 for a totally dependent older adult.

 

Although many of these older adults could be in the program, others may not, so we estimate that our Department of Social Work will take 5 years to include the 160 older adults in said program, especially because CONAPAM has to evaluate its internal budgets.

   

Sale of services and supplies in the Shopping Center located on the Foundation's land.

  

As part of the sustainability plan, there is the construction in the Foundation area of a small shopping center of around 8 stores, which will provide neighboring communities with options for the acquisition of basic services that generate resources for the project.

  

These services could generate resources either through direct sales by the Foundation or by renting them. The objective is for some of these premises to be food sales, which serve both the community and the Foundation employees themselves, sales of basic and first-need supplies and other services.

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Donations from families in the community to the Foundation

  

Any company that is located in a community and that, in turn, becomes a source of employment for its families, over time comes to be adopted by all its neighbors.

  

One of the objectives is for this project of the Berkana Foundation to be adopted by families from all the neighboring communities, for them to volunteer, for churches of different denominations to bring their faithful to accompany the elderly who They reside in the Home and thus create a link between the Home and the community.

 

The amount would be  ₵25,000, with a bonus system that could even be deductible as an automatic charge through the national banking system.

  

Commercial social responsibility program.

 

This program is aimed at SMEs, since it is extremely important to create a culture of social responsibility in them, since it is currently only contemplated at the level of large companies. This program would begin its search for donors with the companies in the towns surrounding the Foundation, since they will directly benefit from the flow of staff and family members who will arrive when visiting the elderly.

 

The collection system would be managed as an automatic debit, and a minimum donation amount of ₵ 75,000 per month is proposed; The incorporation of 2 companies per month to the program is projected starting in the second year (24 per year).

 

Aid agreements

 

This program consists of the creation of permanent aid agreements between companies or associations with the Berkana Foundation.

 

These agreements are planned to be made with large companies, which fall within the circle of “Foundation Members”, the objective is not a large donation (which could be tax deductible), but a constant monthly flow that will have a base of ₵ 250,000

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In our case, we will offer companies the option of developing “Corporate Social Responsibility” programs with their collaborators at the Foundation's facilities. The objective of this program is to affiliate 12 companies per year (1 per month) starting in the second year. .

 

Creation of the Berkana Convenience Stores Program

 

This project adds to the self-sustainability part of the Foundation, since it proposes the creation of a convenience store in previously evaluated strategic locations, in such a way that all income goes directly to the Foundation.

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These convenience stores could range from busy public service stations, management of corporate canteens or solidarity associations, among others.

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It is important to clarify that the money for the construction, equipment and other details of the permits that these stores require will come from the Foundation's own resources.

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It is planned to open one store per year starting in the second year, which, like those located on the Foundation's land, will have a similar increase in income (being very conservative).