Latin America and the Caribbean is aging at a rapid pace. Today, 11% of the population is over 60 years old. By 2035, the proportion of older adults will have doubled. This phenomenon implies greater care needs for a larger population of older adults facing dependency. This means some people will have difficulty performing basic daily life activities such as bathing, eating, or … [Read more...] about What can Korea Teach us About Long-Term Care Systems?
Aging and Dependency
Health Challenges Facing an Aging Population
Latin America and the Caribbean is aging at an unprecedented rate. In 1960, 3.8% of the population was over 65 years old. By 2015, this percentage had increased to 7.2% and it is expected that by 2040 it will be 14.4%. That is, in 30 years, the population of older adults will double. Those older than 80 years old, which today represent 11% of the population over 60 years old, … [Read more...] about Health Challenges Facing an Aging Population
Costa Rica’s Deeply Familial Care System at the Onset of Increased Global Aging
Questions we may ask ourselves as we age might include: who’s going to care for us? How will we afford that care? Will we become a burden for our loved ones? Should we spare them and explore retirement home options? None of these questions are easy. They’re especially difficult in societies where people tend to feel more alienated. But in some cultures, where family ties are … [Read more...] about Costa Rica’s Deeply Familial Care System at the Onset of Increased Global Aging
Institutionalized and Uncounted
We all have an elderly relative, friend or neighbor who requires additional support. Sometimes, we may even have to decide whether sending them to a retirement home is the right thing to do. But we know little about conditions in these places. Oftentimes, the institutionalized end up being invisible and vulnerable. … [Read more...] about Institutionalized and Uncounted
How To Support Those Who Provide Assistance To People With Disabilities?
Nilda Villacres, an expert in public health in Ecuador, is also a single mother of a 30-year-old son who was born with cerebral palsy. Despite the difficulties, she feels fortunate to work in a profession that helps her cover the costs of the people who accompany her son during a good part of the working day. … [Read more...] about How To Support Those Who Provide Assistance To People With Disabilities?