More than 8 million older people are dependent on long-term care in Latin America and the Caribbean. These people are not able, on their own, to perform at least one basic activity of daily living, such as bathing or showering, eating, using the toilet, dressing, getting around a room, or getting in and out of bed. In this region, care dependence affects12% of people over age 60 and almost 27% of people over age 80.
Anyone who knows the work of William Shakeaspeare in Romeo and Juliet recognizes these famous lines: “What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet!”
With the sudden halt to face-to-face education, parents across the world juggle distance and hybrid education models. In addition to being parents and often full-time employees, overnight they suddenly also became full time educators and classroom managers. The additional burden on parents comes at the cost of decreased mental health.
Today is the International Day of Older Persons. The world is home to more than 1 billion people over age 60, and two years ago the global number of people over age 65 surpassed that of children under age 5 for the first time in history. These numbers confirm a clear and irreversible trend: the world is aging, and Latin America is the region currently aging the quickest. This means we need to focus on the special needs and challenges this segment of the population faces.
People prefer to age at home, in a familiar setting, and surrounded, when possible, by their belongings and closest relatives and friends. This is not only a matter of personal preference. TheWorld Health Organizationhighlights the importance of the context in determining the effects of aging on health: aging at home increases confidence levels, independence, and autonomy.
It is no news that we are all looking forward to the COVID-19 vaccine. But to believe that finding one - or several - vaccines will be the panacea and immediately end the pandemic is a mistake. Three fundamental questions explain why the vaccine does not provide an immediate solution. The first and most obvious, the date: when will the vaccine be ready? The second question is the access: how will the community have access to the vaccine? The third question, just as important, is the cost: once ready, what will the price be?
COVID-19 has upended health systems globally, with uncertain implications for the future of healthcare and beyond. What is certain, however, is that all healthcare systems undoubtedly face a “new normal” in their journey to achieve universal health coverage (UHC) and become more resilient to future stresses.
In many countries, large-scale initiatives are under way to pay tribute and thank health personnel for their heroic work in the diagnosis, care, and follow-up of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Deserted parks, shuttered businesses, rush-hour traffic reduced to a trickle: it no longer comes off as hyperbole to say the world has been put on hold. In Latin America and the Caribbean, 13 countries have chosen to enter complete lockdown, and 12 have gone the route of a partial or sector-based quarantine. While measures are constantly evolving in response to changing infection rates, governments must prepare to gradually lift lockdown measures, drawing on all tools available to them as they do so.
Israel is one of the smallest countries in the world, but it has delivered some of the biggest results in healthcare. It has a 90% patient satisfaction rate, top-tier rankings by international health measures, one of the lowest costs-per-patient in the world, a world-class community and primary care system, and Israel has become a leading developer and exporter of life-saving healthcare technology, training, systems, policies, medical equipment, and expertise.