Top things to know
- A joint policy brief warns that aging populations in the Caribbean and the Americas are driving up demand for long-term care.
- By 2050, an estimated 306 million people in the region, or more than one in four residents, will be aged 60 or older.
- Fragmented services and limited public financing force families to carry heavy unpaid and financial burdens.
- The economic value of informal long-term care is estimated at between 0.8 percent and 4.9 percent of annual GDP.
A joint policy brief released by the Pan American Health Organization and the Inter-American Development Bank warns that an aging population across the Americas and the Caribbean is driving an urgent need for expanded long-term care systems. Researchers project that by 2050, approximately 306 million residents in the region—representing more than one in every four individuals—will be aged 60 or older.
The report highlights that fragmented health and social services, alongside inadequate public financing, currently leave families to shoulder a significant portion of the responsibilities and costs associated with ongoing care. While 88 percent of countries surveyed in the 2025 midterm review of the United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing reported including long-term care in national policies or legislation, only 15 of 35 member states maintain a formal, publicly funded system. Furthermore, just seven of 27 countries legally recognize informal caregivers and provide entitlements to support.
Mary Lou Valdez, deputy director of the health organization, emphasized that funding care infrastructure yields broader societal benefits. “Investing in long-term care is not simply an expenditure,” Valdez stated, noting that it serves as an investment in healthier people, stronger families, and more resilient societies. The economic value of informal, unpaid care provided by relatives is estimated to account for between 0.8 percent and 4.9 percent of annual gross domestic product.
To address these structural gaps, the brief recommends closer alignment between health and social protection services, establishing clear responsibilities, standardized assessments, and sustainable financing. It points to Uruguay's National Integrated Care System, established in 2015, as a functional model that unites government ministries and civil society under a shared governance framework. Regional health authorities are promoting similar integrated approaches under a 2025–2034 policy initiative to improve care accessibility and quality.