National care system for the elderly.

Abstract

While the debate on the national care system is gaining momentum in the academic and political spheres, it’s important to note that the issues of gender and child care often overshadow the component concerning the elderly, which needs a more thorough analysis. This article aims to support constructing a care agenda that prioritizes older people. It presents arguments in favor of care, understood as a right, and discusses the burden of disease as being responsible for dependency and a consequence of long periods of need for care. The concept of care is analyzed, along with its distinction between long-term care and palliative care. A different perspective is proposed to calculate dependency beyond the number of affected activities of daily living (ADL). In addition, the national and intergenerational situation of the care systems is presented, specifically long-term, which in Mexico is non-existent, and critical points to integrate the system are reviewed, such as legislation and regulations for residences, training and certification of older people, and incorporation of the community approach. Given the context of inequality, social backwardness, increasing health needs, and a rapidly aging population, it is imperative to reform the care system by integrating the health system with the social care system.