{"id":288277,"date":"2023-09-07T21:47:55","date_gmt":"2023-09-08T01:47:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/?p=288277"},"modified":"2023-09-07T21:47:55","modified_gmt":"2023-09-08T01:47:55","slug":"care-for-the-elderly-in-cuba-live-more-live-better","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/cuba\/society-cuba\/population\/care-for-the-elderly-in-cuba-live-more-live-better\/","title":{"rendered":"Care for the elderly in Cuba: live more, live better?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Celia is 81 years old. She has been living for about five years with a diagnosis of dementia that prevents her from fending for herself. She can barely walk a few steps with the help of her only child and her husband, who divide their time between taking care of her and working to ensure the support of the family. Celia\u2019s illness has disabled her almost totally and has made her forget who she was and who she loved.<\/span><\/p>\n

Caridad is 94 years old. For more than five years she has needed permanent attention. Although she has not lost her lucidity, the physical wear and tear of her more than nine decades and a skin cancer that she has survived for more than three decades have taken their toll. Her daughters take care of her, they are also close to being seniors. Caridad cannot walk without a walker and she requires help with basic activities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Like Celia and Caridad, in Cuba, many disabled or incapable elderly people have a growing need for stable care.<\/span><\/p>\n

With regard to the elderly, both on the island and in Latin America, two variables maintain a proportional relationship: as life expectancy increases, the number of years of life in which one is unhealthy increases.<\/span><\/p>\n

This has been <\/span>defined<\/span><\/a> by international organizations, whose recent statistics show that \u201cincreased life expectancy does not mean that people are necessarily living those additional years in good health.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUnhealthy life years\u201d are understood to be those that are lived in a situation of disability, due to a condition of illness, physical exhaustion, or mental detriment (sometimes all at the same time) for a long period of time.<\/span><\/p>\n

In Cuba, the country <\/span>most aged in the region<\/span><\/a> (with more than 22.3% of the population aged 60 or over), a growing challenge is the arrival of old age for people who are almost or completely unable to care for themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

The data on how many dependent older adults with total or partial disabilities live in Cuba today is not broken down in public statistics. However, some figures and studies on the subject provide an idea of the magnitude of the phenomenon.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Photo: Kaloian.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Elderly and disabilities in figures<\/b><\/p>\n

More frequent health conditions in the elderly mean that they can lead to states of invalidity or disability.<\/span><\/p>\n

An investigation by academic Rolando Garc\u00eda <\/span>published<\/span><\/a> in 2019 points to dementia, and in particular <\/span>Alzheimer\u2019s<\/span> (70% of the patients diagnosed with dementia suffer from it), as the first reason for disability in older adults in Cuba and the main cause of dependency and need of care.<\/span><\/p>\n

There were an estimated 170,000 people with dementia at the time, equivalent to 1.2% of the population. But, according to projections described in the aforementioned study, the disease has an increasing trend of up to 260,000 in 2030 and up to 520,000 in 2050.<\/span><\/p>\n

After the age of 65, dementias affect 10% of all older adults; at 75 years 30%, and after 90 years the percentage exceeds 50%, according to the study.<\/span><\/p>\n

The results of the last Population and Housing Census (2012) reported 6,415 people aged 96 or over. In addition, in the first quarter of 2017 statistics <\/span>registered<\/span><\/a> in the Department of the Elderly, Social Assistance and Mental Health of the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP), registered 2,153 centenarians.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is a fact that, with age, vulnerability increases. A cause of permanent disability whose highest incidence is verified in the range of 80 to 89 years (32.9%) are bone fractures, especially hips. A <\/span>study<\/span><\/a> carried out by several Cuban researchers and published in 2022 showed that some 12,000 hip fractures occur every year in Cuba; and the number tends to increase.<\/span><\/p>\n

Who will take care of the elderly who stay behind?<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n