Analyzing the elderly population in a situation of dependency in Argentina

The Argentine population is one of the oldest in Latin America. One of the main challenges faced by aging societies is caring for people in a situation of dependency, that is, people who need help to carry out activities of daily living.

This topic is what the scientific publication that we analyze today talks about, which is written by Maria Pujol Jover, member of the MeL research group, together with Malena Monteverde, Ramón Alemany and Guillem López Casasnovas in 2017.

Objective and methodology

The proposal of the article is to establish a methodology and objective criteria that allow identifying homogeneous groups of elderly people in a situation of dependency in Argentina, according to their degree of severity, using secondary information contained in surveys. To do this, the classification tree method was used to identify homogeneous groups based on common variables in the surveys of two countries.

The proposal seeks to improve the care and attention of elderly people in a situation of dependency in Argentina, through an appropriate classification that allows a better allocation of resources and more personalized attention.

The methodology proposed in the article uses classification trees and common variables in surveys to identify homogeneous groups of elderly people in a situation of dependency in Argentina. It is based on the Scale for Assessment of the Dependency Situation (BVD) in force in Spain and on the National Survey on the Quality of Life of Older Adults in Argentina.

Findings

The article highlights that the proposal presented can be useful to identify homogeneous groups and design specific policies and programs for each of them. In addition, it is mentioned that this proposal can be a useful tool to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of dependency care services, since it allows for better allocation of resources and more personalized care.

A result that draws attention is the contrasting behavior in the proportion of women according to the degree of severity between the two countries. While for Spain the proportion of women increases with the level of severity of the dependency, this proportion decreases in Argentina, suggesting that the excess mortality of the most severe cases of dependency would be substantially higher among women in Argentina with respect to what is estimated. observe in Spain. However, this result should be the subject of a more in-depth study, which exceeds the possibilities of this work.

The discussion also addresses the importance of considering cultural and contextual differences between countries when applying this proposal. It is mentioned that the proposal is based on data from surveys carried out in Argentina and Spain, and that its applicability needs to be validated in other contexts. It is highlighted that the proposal can be adapted to the specific characteristics of each country, and that additional variables that are relevant for each context can be included.

Additionally, the importance of considering the perspective of the elderly and their caregivers in the implementation of this proposal is discussed. It is mentioned that it is necessary to involve the elderly and their caregivers in the design and implementation of dependency care policies and programs, and that their needs and preferences must be considered to guarantee quality care.

Summary

In summary, this work highlights the notable disparities in the distribution of people in a situation of dependency according to severity in various populations. These discrepancies are of great relevance, since they reflect the contextual diversity of aging processes in different regions of the world. Furthermore, it highlights the fact that the mere identification of the group of people in a situation of dependency is not enough to precisely determine the help and care necessary for this group.

Check the study

You can consult the entire article for free by clicking here.