Long-term care in Latin America and the Caribbean: financing, human resources, and services for sustainable systems

Population aging, prevalence of chronic diseases and shifts in family structures are driving a growing demand for care services in Latin America and the Caribbean. These demographic and social changes have prompted many countries to place long-term care on their social policy agendas. The current literature emphasizes that the foundational pillars supporting such systems encompass a legislative and financial framework, a package of services, coordination with the health sector, and quality standards to ensure the well-being of older people. However, there is a lack of knowledge on the financial resources needed to fund long-term care in the region, the supply of paid care workers and the characteristics of essential services, such as telecare. By addressing knowledge gaps in these areas, the aim of this thesis is to examine the role of services, financing, and human resources in the construction of long-term care systems in Latin America and the Caribbean. By way of documentary analyses, quantitative analyses and key informant interviews, this work makes the following contributions: it provides an estimate of the cost of telecare services and the main experiences in the region; it estimates the cost of funding a long-term care system and the main financing mechanisms; it quantifies the number of paid care professionals and their socio-economic characteristics. The policy implications of this work underscore the importance of prioritizing long-term care to enhance efficiency and innovation in healthcare, and, most importantly, ensure the quality of life of both older people and caregivers.