Today 02:38
For decades, aging has been viewed – and often feared – as a stage of dependency, fragility and social withdrawal. In much of Latin America, this idea has been reinforced by images of passive “ancestors” in need of help and far removed from the productive or digital world. But what happens when older people describe themselves differently?
A study in Chile, prepared by the consulting company Datafoz, showed results that call us to question the stereotypes prevailing in a large part of our societies. According to the report, 85% of people over the age of 65 declare that they are completely self-sufficient; Nine out of ten use social networks without problems and a similar percentage categorically reject the idea of living in a nursing home. Furthermore, 88% say they do not feel like they are a burden on their family.
The distance between this self-perception and the viewpoint that young people tend to hold is significant, revealing a generational gap that can also occur in other countries in the region. It seems that old age is not synonymous with dependency, but rather with independence. But social realization is slower than the demographic shift.
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Across Latin America we are witnessing an accelerated aging process. According to HYPERLINK “https://www.cepal.org/es/publicaciones/37307-america-latina-caribe-desafios-oportunidades-sociedad-que-envejece” \h data from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, in 2050 one in four people will be over 60 years of age and in six countries in the region 30% of the population will be so. However, our public policies, social services and cultural discourses still operate from a youthful matrix, which not only ignores but often actively inhibits the independence of older people.
How can we not think about this when only 53% of young people do not agree to live in a nursing home, while among the current elderly this disapproval reaches 84%? Could it be that the distance is not just in age, but in appearance?
In this context, there is an urgent need to reconsider our public policies. It is not enough to expand assistance programs: it is necessary to rethink the design of our cities, health systems, transportation, and community spaces, so that they integrate older people away from independence, rather than from expected dependency.
Latin America is not only aging rapidly, it is aging unevenly, with deep gaps by gender, class, and region. Without deliberate and early action, we risk arriving in 2050 (when one in four people will be over 60 years old) with social systems designed for a population pyramid that will no longer exist.
The Datavoz study doesn’t offer prescriptions, but it does raise pressing questions. Who should take care of the elderly? State, family, or hybrid model? How do we support their right to decide where and how to live? Are we prepared as societies to offer worthy, active, and bias-free alternatives?
The economic dimension also appears with nuances: nearly six in ten older people declare that their income fully covers their expenses, although there are important differences by gender (63% for men, 53% for women). Only 21% receive financial help from family or friends.
Although the majority claim to feel able to carry out their daily activities, there are specific difficulties that should not be made invisible: public transport and house cleaning emerge as the most complex areas for this group, revealing that self-worth also has material conditions.
Perhaps the most disturbing question is also the most necessary: How do we imagine our old age? Because what we think about others today will inevitably lead to building the world we will live in tomorrow.
* Co-Founder of Datavoz.
** Managing Partner in Social and Market Consulting at Datavoz.