The 60+ population in Mexico is aging twice as fast as in the U.S. – leading to public policy changes and new benefits for Mexican seniors.
In the past, the Mexican government offered few benefits to seniors because children usually took care of their aging parents, reports the USA Today, but the dropping birthrate means there are few children to share the responsibility. United Nations data says that by 2050, a quarter of Mexico’s population (24.4%) will be 60 or older, nearly on par with the U.S. (26.9%) – making Mexico’s imminent senior care challenge similar to the one mounting in the U.S. as baby boomer begin to retire.
Other steps the Mexican government is taking to address the needs of it aging population, according to the USA Today, include:
- In Mexico City, the city government has opened a university only for people 60 and older. The university offers degrees in psychology and business administration. Its 1,545 students pay just $3.75 to $18.80 per class.
- Two years ago, the federal government began provided subsidies of 500 pesos a month – about $38 – to people 70 and older in poor areas. Mexico City started its own subsidy program in 2001, giving $61 a month to people 68 and older.
- Mexico City this year launched a network of gerontology clinics that dispense free Viagra, along with hundreds of other medicines. In February, the federal government opened the Geriatric Institute to train doctors.
Read the USA Today article, “Mexico Launches Programs for Seniors as Nation Ages Quickly.”
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