Abstract

This report analyzes the quality of life of older people in Latin America and the Caribbean, how it relates to social protection policies and how these policies must adapt to an aging population. The quality of life of older people is measured as a combination of healthy life expectancy and income security. In this report, social protection for older people is defined as a combination of pensions, health services and long-term care services. These policies are directly related to the quality of life of the elderly. Pensions reduce poverty. Health services not only improve your health status, but also reduce the risk of poverty caused by very high medical expenses. Long-term care services improve the well-being of dependent people and their family caregivers. These positive effects of social protection are amply documented in the literature. For each type of policy, the level of coverage, the quality of the benefits offered and their fiscal and social sustainability are evaluated.