{"id":18938,"date":"2017-10-23T05:00:21","date_gmt":"2017-10-23T12:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?p=18938"},"modified":"2026-02-22T15:33:32","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T23:33:32","slug":"senior-survival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/senior-survival\/","title":{"rendered":"Senior Survival"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the aftermath of Hurricane\u2019s Maria\u2019s devastating impact on Puerto Rico, residents and staf\"PuertoRicoMaria\"<\/a>f at three senior living communities continue to face challenges, and find new sources of strength. A Yardi client in Puerto Rico shares their story.<\/em><\/p>\n

As Category 4 Maria hurtled towards Puerto Rico, three Insignia Senior Living communities initiated their disaster plan and began communicating with residents and family members. By the time the storm made landfall on September 20, its unprecedented strength meant even the best-laid plans called for some improvisation and cooperation on behalf of residents and staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo amount of preparation could have helped us anticipate all the challenges that we have been facing,\u201d says Insignia Senior Living CEO Milton L. Cruz. \u201cWe have had to make a lot of adjustments to our plans, always using our best judgment.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Continuing Crisis<\/strong><\/p>\n

Though Hurricane Maria\u2019s reign of terror ended weeks ago, the residents of Puerto Rico are still dealing with the aftermath of the storm’s impact. Over 80 percent of the island is still without power, and according to FEMA<\/a>, residents are currently coping with low medicine supplies and a daily shortfall of 1.8 million meals.<\/p>\n

For Cruz and the residents who depend on him, the continuing crisis in Puerto Rico \u2013 especially the lack of dependable power \u2013 poses life-threatening risks.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile Hurricane Maria made landfall weeks ago, we are still facing the aftermath today as strongly as we did the day after the storm,\u201d he says. \u201cThis isn\u2019t over, and it will take months, if not years, to rebuild the island.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was a truly catastrophic event, and we will need a lot of help and support from our fellow US citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Staff Saves the Day<\/strong><\/p>\n

Though the precautions and protocols established by Insignia\u2019s Puerto Rico communities allowed residents and staff to weather the storm in relative safety, for Cruz, his team\u2019s positive outlook and cooperative spirit proved incalculable.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur team faced this challenge with resiliency and a good attitude,\u201d he says. \u201cWhile our associates were experiencing their own personal hardships as a result of the storm, they still arrived at work full of energy and enthusiasm.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cruz\u00a0believes all three communities\u2019 ability to react quickly as the storm intensified, ensuring the resident\u2019s safety while managing to maintain essential operations, highlights how Insignia\u2019s employees remain committed to the company\u2019s goal of providing superior and responsive care to residents.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has been a learning experience in many respects,\u201d says Cruz. \u201cIt has taught us about the importance of ensuring that we are surrounding ourselves and our senior living communities with the right people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot only can we depend on trustworthy and reliable suppliers \u2013 who have been essential throughout this crisis \u2013 but our staff has proven they are truly invaluable. Our team includes staff and associates committed to our residents, to the point of leaving everything personal behind to make sure our seniors are well taken care of. Even our executive directors have moved into our communities to ensure things continue to run as smoothly as they can despite current circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople like that are priceless. We truly hit the jackpot, and we are lucky to have them.\u201d<\/p>\n

A New Normal<\/strong><\/p>\n

For now, Cruz says residents and staff are adjusting to \u201cthe island\u2019s new normal.\u201d That means finding\u00a0alternate ways to get around minimal phone reception and lack of internet access and allowing associates to bring children to work while schools remain closed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith limited services and resources, our staff and associates have gone back to basics,\u201d explains Cruz. \u201cWe have resorted to old methods of communication and our rules are more flexible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, Cruz worries the island will soon face an even more significant humanitarian catastrophe if power and access to medical care continue to be scarce. All three communities are still without power, and supplying safe drinking water, and access to critical supplies like oxygen tanks continues to be difficult. In addition, poor phone reception means family members are struggling to stay in contact with their loved ones.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are still facing the same\u00a0difficulties we faced the day after the storm,\u201d Cruz reiterates. \u201cOnly now, we are now encountering a health crisis as well. Infectious diseases like scabies and conjunctivitis are on the rise. These are the realities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCivil society is facing devastation, desolation, fear and, most of all, uncertainty,\u201d he continues. \u201cPuerto Rico has a tough road ahead, including rebuilding infrastructure and strategizing for sustainable solutions moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the disaster in Puerto Rico deepens, silver linings are hard to come by, but Cruz does believe his residents and staff will not only survive but come out of the crisis tougher and more united.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis crisis has helped us all realize our unifying purpose,\u201d he says. \u201cNow we truly understand the value of our mission, to provide safe and joyful environments where seniors feel loved and valued. We have realized that if we truly follow these words, focusing on providing the best possible care becomes easier, even in the face of all the challenges we must overcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are now stronger than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the aftermath of Hurricane\u2019s Maria\u2019s devastating impact on Puerto Rico, residents and staff at three senior living communities deal continue to face challenges, and find new sources of strength.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":103,"featured_media":18943,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_s2mail":"yes","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,2952],"tags":[2128,2190,1417,1666,842],"class_list":["post-18938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-senior-living","tag-disaster-preparedness","tag-insignia-senior-living","tag-senior-care","tag-senior-citizens","tag-senior-living"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nYardi Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In the aftermath of Hurricane\u2019s Maria\u2019s devastating impact on Puerto Rico, residents and staff at three senior living communities deal continue to face challenges, and find new sources of strength.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Senior Survival\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the aftermath of Hurricane\u2019s Maria\u2019s devastating impact on Puerto Rico, residents and staff at three senior living communities deal continue to face challenges, and find new sources of strength.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/senior-survival\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Yardi Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-10-23T12:00:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-22T23:33:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2017\/10\/PuertoRicoMaria.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"3890\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"3890\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Cutright Elizabeth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Cutright Elizabeth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/senior-survival\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/senior-survival\/\",\"name\":\"Senior Survival - Yardi Corporate Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/senior-survival\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/senior-survival\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2017\/10\/PuertoRicoMaria.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-10-23T12:00:21+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-22T23:33:32+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/dba832121806bbec3d280d6cdde90b4d\"},\"description\":\"In the aftermath of Hurricane\u2019s Maria\u2019s devastating impact on Puerto Rico, residents and staff at three senior living communities deal continue to face challenges, and find new sources of strength.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/senior-survival\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/senior-survival\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/senior-survival\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2017\/10\/PuertoRicoMaria.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2017\/10\/PuertoRicoMaria.jpg\",\"width\":3890,\"height\":3890},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/senior-survival\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Senior Survival\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Yardi Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/dba832121806bbec3d280d6cdde90b4d\",\"name\":\"Cutright Elizabeth\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4016b5eabd512619820fc63946d01cd983acc211f98fbc559a890a5b4b27c559?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4016b5eabd512619820fc63946d01cd983acc211f98fbc559a890a5b4b27c559?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Cutright Elizabeth\"},\"description\":\"Elizabeth Cutright is an award-winning writer and editor with over 20 years of experience in journalism, publishing and online content creation. A film school grad with a law degree from the University of San Diego, outside of work Elizabeth can usually be found in the pool, on a hiking trail, or sampling Santa Barbara\u2019s latest vintage.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/author\/elizabeth-cutright-2\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Yardi Blog","description":"In the aftermath of Hurricane\u2019s Maria\u2019s devastating impact on Puerto Rico, residents and staff at three senior living communities deal continue to face challenges, and find new sources of strength.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Senior Survival","og_description":"In the aftermath of Hurricane\u2019s Maria\u2019s devastating impact on Puerto Rico, residents and staff at three senior living communities deal continue to face challenges, and find new sources of strength.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/senior-survival\/","og_site_name":"Yardi Blog","article_published_time":"2017-10-23T12:00:21+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-02-22T23:33:32+00:00","og_image":[{"width":3890,"height":3890,"url":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2017\/10\/PuertoRicoMaria.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Cutright Elizabeth","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Cutright Elizabeth","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/senior-survival\/","url":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/senior-survival\/","name":"Senior Survival - Yardi Corporate Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/senior-survival\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/senior-survival\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2017\/10\/PuertoRicoMaria.jpg","datePublished":"2017-10-23T12:00:21+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-22T23:33:32+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/dba832121806bbec3d280d6cdde90b4d"},"description":"In the aftermath of Hurricane\u2019s Maria\u2019s devastating impact on Puerto Rico, residents and staff at three senior living communities deal continue to face challenges, and find new sources of strength.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/senior-survival\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/senior-survival\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/senior-survival\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2017\/10\/PuertoRicoMaria.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2017\/10\/PuertoRicoMaria.jpg","width":3890,"height":3890},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/senior-survival\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Senior Survival"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/","name":"Yardi Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/dba832121806bbec3d280d6cdde90b4d","name":"Cutright Elizabeth","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4016b5eabd512619820fc63946d01cd983acc211f98fbc559a890a5b4b27c559?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4016b5eabd512619820fc63946d01cd983acc211f98fbc559a890a5b4b27c559?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Cutright Elizabeth"},"description":"Elizabeth Cutright is an award-winning writer and editor with over 20 years of experience in journalism, publishing and online content creation. A film school grad with a law degree from the University of San Diego, outside of work Elizabeth can usually be found in the pool, on a hiking trail, or sampling Santa Barbara\u2019s latest vintage.","url":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/author\/elizabeth-cutright-2\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2017\/10\/PuertoRicoMaria.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18938","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/103"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18938"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18938\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18993,"href":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18938\/revisions\/18993"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18938"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}