Population Aging and the Increased Need of Eldercare in Latin America: How Burdensome is It Going to Be?

Luis Rosero-Bixby, Universidad de Costa Rica
Guido Pinto, University of Wisconsin-Madison

The increased needs for eldercare in the ageing Latin American populations and their burden to younger persons are estimated using survey information on help received by elderly individuals in activities of daily life (ADL) and on the providers’ characteristics. We distinguish full-care provided to help with basic ADLs, such as bathing, from mild-care for instrumental ADLs, such as shopping. The demand for eldercare takes off after age 80. Caregivers are mostly spouses for married individuals and children for unmarried persons. The mean age of caregivers is 54 years. The demand for eldercare grew explosively at annual rates close to 5% in the last decades and will grow at about 4% in the coming decades. The expected number of months an average Latin American spends as full caregiver is 6 months in 2010 and it would be around 12 months in 2050 if the same family-centered pattern of care-giving persists.