Prolonged blackouts worsen vulnerability for the elderly

For the elderly, especially those with chronic illnesses, reduced mobility, or living alone, a prolonged power outage is more than just an inconvenience; it disrupts their rest, meals, and emotional stability.

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For the elderly, especially those with chronic illnesses, reduced mobility, or living alone, a prolonged power outage is more than just an inconvenience: the heat, darkness, and disruption of their routines can affect their rest, meals, and emotional stability.

This reality was starkly illustrated in the San Gerónimo sector of the National District, where a transformer failure left residents without electricity for 42 hours. The outage, lasting from August 3rd until Edesur brigades intervened, significantly impacted 98-year-old María Gladis Medina, who uses a wheelchair and suffers from dementia. Her caregiver, Mari Gómez, described Medina's distress due to the heat and disrupted routine, noting her difficulty sleeping and increased agitation.

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We had a very bad night.

Medina's experience is not isolated. Between January 2025 and June 2026, Dominican electricity distribution companies recorded about 1.2 million outages. Edesur alone reported 538,786 failures during this period, averaging nearly 1,000 per day. These frequent disruptions also affect those living alone, such as 83-year-old Nelson Rafael Caffaro, who worried about the heat and losing access to television during the blackout. He also suffered the loss of food stored in his refrigerator.

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Finally the light arrived!