Public policy on aging and elderly: The case of Costa Rica
F. Morales-Martinez, E. Rivera-Meza
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AbstractBackground The Republic of Costa Rica is a Central American country with almost 4,7 million inhabitants (July 2013). Its territory covers a total area of 51,100 km², it is bathed in the east by the Caribbean Sea and to the west by the Pacific Ocean. Regarding maritime boundaries,
it borders Panama, Colombia, Nicaragua and Ecuador. Its capital, political and economic center is San Jose, and its official language is Spanish. Over the years, the Costa Rican people have created and inherited a deep sense of peaceful coexistence. Costa Rica has chosen, therefore, for a comprehensive, human-centered policy, marked by a profound respect for the rights and aspirations of the people. Ageing The positive social achievement of extended life expectancy, however, has highlighted the need to seriously address the challenges posed by the aging phenomenon and, especially, their consequences. In Costa Rica this began to occupy the attention of some professionals and institutions about 25 years ago. This led not only to some pioneering studies in the field of aging, but also to the development of important programs and institutions caring for the older person. But it was not until the late nineties that the country has started to enact specific legislation to address this important sector of the national population. Aim Analyzing the history and recent reforms about aging policies in Costa Rica including the evolution of the implemented strategies by the state addressing the situation of senior citizens. Results In this retrospective, it is found that the strong cultural influence of Costa Rica has allowed the state and civil society to develop actions in benefit of this population group,
supported by the political constitution. Initially the focus was welfare and protectionist, followed by preventive, and nowadays it is of entitlement. The Comprehensive Law for the Older
Adults No. 7935 and the creation of the National Council of the Older Adult as an attached
organization of the Presidency of the Republic and governing body on aging have proven strong instruments. Both allow to impulse (i) qualitative changes in the promotion of the care of older adults (ii) a priority policy, conceptualized from the perspective of human rights and (iii) the networking that guarantees a comprehensive and timely care for every individual. This has allowed the construction of a new culture from the strong compromise that all the policy, financial and social sectors have enacted together with older adults and their families. It concludes by pointing out the importance of an active participation and stewardship of the older adults when it comes to consultation processes, alliance configuration and accountability about actions for their benefit. Also it stresses the importance of legal instruments concerning the specific necessities of older adults.Keywords: Costa Rica, older adults, human rights, policy instruments
F. Morales-Martinez, E. Rivera-Meza (2014). Public policy on aging and elderly: The case of Costa Rica. Gerontechnology, 12(4), 209-213
https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2014.12.4.004.00