In Mexicothere is only thousand certified geriatric doctorsan insufficient number to serve the growing population of older adults. It is estimated that this year, the number of people over 60 years of age will exceed 16.4 million, meaning that there will be, on average, one specialist for every 16.4 thousand inhabitants.
The president of the Mexican Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics AC. (AMGG), Dr. Laura Concepción Gutiérrez Hernández, said that when more than 5 percent of the population in a nation is over six decades old, we are talking about population aging and by 2050, it is estimated that a quarter of the population of the country will be elderly.
The specialist detailed in an interview with 24 HOURSthat although doctors are currently being trained with this approach to health care, the demand is too great, so the Association seeks, through academic activities and of investigationto bring this knowledge to other doctors.
“We are spreading knowledge of geriatric medicine for primary care physicians: general practitioners, family doctors, internists, who care for older adults and are interested in them, so that they understand them and can go to a geriatrician,” he said.
With this, Gutiérrez Hernández indicated, the aim is to provide the best support during the aging process, a stage of life where comprehensive care is necessary. quality and warmth.
“It is not just about caring for them, you have to know them and know their needs, their feelings, the context in which they live, their biopsychosocial needs and based on that, give them the best treatment so that they do not deteriorate and move towards a good quality of life,” he said.
Edomex is the entity with the most elderly
He State from Mexico, with one million 919 thousand 454 older adults; followed by the capital of the Republic, with one million 491 thousand 619, and Veracruz, with one million 157 thousand 892, are the three entities with the most elderly, according to the Comparative Analysis, Heterogeneity in Aging: State Level 2020from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi).
In contrast, the document indicates that the entities with fewer grandparents are Baja California Sur (75 thousand 608); Colima (91 thousand 557) and Campeche (102 thousand 616).
According to the State Government of Mexico, 37.9 percent (791 thousand) of older adults were living in poverty and 5.5 percent (115 thousand) in extreme poverty.
The Inegi National Household Income and Expenditure Survey showed that in 2022, 2 million 390 thousand older adults in the Edomex They required direct support from the Government, mainly in the areas of food, economics and health.
The situation of older adults, in almost the entire country, seems to be getting more complicated. According to UN figures, at least six out of ten older adults experience some form of violence.
For example, at the beginning of the year, the Michoacan deputy, Rocio Beamonte, He reported that in his state there are nearly 700 thousand older adults who are victims of abandonment by their families.
THE PASSAGE OF TIME
Mexico City is one of the states with the highest rate of aging, with 90 older adults for every 100 children under 15 years of age, according to Inegi.
2020 Population and Housing Census Figurescompiled by the local Economic Development Secretariat (Sedeco), In the capital of the Republic, 356,196 people aged 65 to 69 and 105,470 people aged 85 or older were registered.
As for mayors, the Gustavo A, Madero It was ranked as the city with the largest population of 85 years or older (15,757 inhabitants). While in second place was Iztapalapa, with 15,200 older adults. / Rodrigo Cerezo
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2024-08-31 12:54:27