Analysis Of The Situation Of Older Adults As A Vulnerable Population In Peru During The Last Decade

Analysis of the situation of older adults as a vulnerable population in Peru during the last decade

INTRODUCTION

Our work aims to describe the way in which the fundamental rights of older adults have been violated in Peruvian society in the last decade and analyze the actions of the State against it. The choice of the subject is born when witnessing the situation in which the elderly and the disinterest that civil society and the State are. The hypothesis we intend is to demonstrate that in Peru the conditions are "deplorable" for older adults which makes them a vulnerable population. The consequences are diverse since their rights are not respected and this negatively affects physical and mental health, above all, the quality of life for this population is less and less.

The demonstration of the hypothesis was developed throughout two chapters that make up our work. First, we will describe the way in which the rights of older adults in Peruvian society have been violated in the last 10 years and the situation in which they are currently. Likewise, expose the factors for which their rights and situations are violated in which.

Second, the main actions of the Peruvian State will be described in the face of the problem of older adults in the last decade exposing the various points to be treated by the State against the vulnerable population. It is known that in the last decade the population of older adults in rural and urban areas of Peru, an increase in their vulnerability in civil society has been seen.

We refer to "vulnerability" when we talk about the rights and lack of social protection by the State and society, which will be the main axis of our research in this monograph. The choice of the topic to be described, was given that the point of view of each member who participated in the elaboration of this monograph was different from that of the other and thanks to this we could obtain different, punctual, objective ideas, in addition to the fact of not thinkingThe same was an advantage to not coincide at the time of writing our texts and having a wide variation in addition to understandable to describe our theme.

To develop this work, we have supported ourselves in different academic sources specialized in the subject: Varela’s article. L, health and quality of life in the elderly, found in a magazine via the Internet, has given us information regarding the situation of the elderly addressing their deficiencies in the field of health and the characteristics of aging. Also, García’s book. R, Baptist. R and quiñones. N, a look at the rights of older adults in Peru, gives us information about the rights violated by the State and Society. Also, we use Martina’s book. M, Nolberto. V, Miljanovich. M, Bardales. Or, Gálvez. D, Violence towards the elderly: Women’s Emergency Centers of the Ministry of Women and Social Development, tells us about the characteristics of older adults who suffer physical, psychological and sexual violence and what actions the State takes to combat this problem. Another important source for us was Olivera magazine. J and Clausen. J, the characteristics of Peruvian older adults and social protection policies, talks about the socio -economic characteristics of this vulnerable population, analyzing social lack of protection and the factors by which this population is vulnerable to civil society. And finally Huayta’s article, Hernandez. J, Meneses, Chávez. S and Carrenzo, health and quality of life in older adults of a rural and urban area of Peru, which tells us about the concept of GBS (health expenditure of the pocket) that consists of the increase in the vulnerability of older adults sinceThey are responsible for their own health needs.

Finally, it is pertinent to clarify that there were limitations regarding testimonies of older adults for our monograph, since they are limited on the Internet.

Peruvian older adult situation in the last decade as a vulnerable population

This chapter aims to describe the way in which the rights of older adults in Peruvian society have been violated in the last 10 years and the situation in which they are found. Understand the factors for which their rights and situations are violated in which. To this end, in the first place, the style and its quality of life will be explained to understand the situation in which they live and social exclusion by civil society. Second, its lack of participation in the labor market will be explained. To achieve this, we will describe the way in which older adults are affected by not having job opportunities that as a consequence generates the dissatisfaction of their needs due to low income.

Finally, in this same chapter, we will explain the malnutrition and lack of access to health services of this population. To do this, we will describe the effects that generate adequate nutrition for their advanced age and lack of care within health services that as a consequence generate serious problem is for the well -being of this population.

• Style and quality of life of older adults and social exclusion by civil society

The present subchapter aims to explain and describe the style and quality of life that older adults carry and the social exclusion of civil society towards this vulnerable population, since these ideas will help us to develop the following sections. First, in order to understand the style and its quality of life, it will be deposed by exposing the growth of the population and the consequences they generate and how they influence their life. After this, you will see how the social exclusion of civil society affects what it generates, how it affects and in what areas the exclusion is shown. Vera explains and defines that the quality of life of older adults is due to the fact that in recent years, the growth of this population has been increasing due to the advancement of technology which has allowed it to continue “extending” timeof life. However, Vera quotes other authors showing the definition of what the quality of life in the elderly means that as a result generated studies to know exactly their quality of life. Vera concludes explaining that:

Concluding, we will say that social representation about the meaning of quality of life for the elderly is to have peace, tranquility in their daily lives;It is being careful and protected by the family, with dignity, affection, respect for his person and for his material goods, helping him to achieve his goals, allowing him to exercise his right of free expression, communication, of decision in everything that is related toHe and, for the family, is to provide him as far as possible, food, clothing, housing and hygiene.

On the other hand, according to Vásquez & Hernández, there are certain factors established in civil society that favor the increase in the vulnerability of these groups and generate some abandonment and exclusion in the social sphere towards older adults. First, there is a problem that occurs in most older adults and is the need to resort to GBS to meet their needs. To talk about this we must first clarify the meaning of this term and in what aspects affect the life of the elderly. That is why Vásquez, Hernández tells us the following: The Pocket Expenditure on Health (GBS) is defined as the non -refundable direct payment made by people who make use of health services and who are not financed by the State or insurance ofhealth) ”and totally affects the economic adult. That is, it is the payment that older adults must resort to meet their needs in the health aspect. This unfortunately occurs in Peruvian society since there is a great vacuum and abandonment from the State in health programs. This factor is one of the main ones that general impoverishment due to these types of expenses in older adults that in most cases suffer from diseases that are not covered by state protection programs.

Second, the place where older adults reside in some cases is a factor that increases vulnerability. To do this, we must clarify that in Peru there are two types of older adults: those that reside in rural places and those who live in urban places. It is totally important to take into account this since it is a factor that affects its quality of life and decision making. Because of this, Huayta, Hernández, Meneses, Chávez, Carreazo and Yhuri mention the following:

The elderly population of the rural area has a higher quality of life in physical, psychological aspects, social and environmental participation while urban area only showed greater quality of life in "intimacy". The area where the elderly reside, affects and differentiates them in issues of quality of life. This can be used to differentiate different health needs according to residence places of the vulnerable population.

Likewise, the factor of the place where they reside totally affects the labor aspect of the elderly of an urban and rural rural area. In this regard, we can clarify that in the case of rural areas the retirement process is a slower process and adults work most of their life in order to generate income for the family. This is totally worrying since its main work areas are agricultural or artisanal, which generates that they are much more likely to suffer diseases that are not covered by state programs. In fact, in the case of agricultural activities, the whole family is required to work together with the community to ensure a satisfactory result, which generates that the elderly must work most of their life and in some cases it has notretire. On the other hand, older adults who reside in a rural area have greater autonomy and social participation, this is reflected in the fact that most of these live with their partner and in some cases away from their family without any problem. This data allows us to analyze the environment in which older adults develop and how their vulnerability in civil society increases in some cases.

In short, the style and quality of life of older adults depend on several factors, as well as the way they are treated by their families and the satisfaction of their needs. The exclusion by civil society is generated due to the lack of empathy towards older adults, which in some cases excludes older adults by the place where they live, for their culture and origin.

• Lack of participation in the labor market

The present subchapter aims to define why old adults do not obtain income such as other people and how their physical and psychological condition affects them to obtain income.

Older adults at a certain age become less economically productive and more dependent on their relatives or people around them. In addition, they have less opportunities to work for their condition, so one of the forms of help by the State was the well -known pension 65. The MIMP points out that:

Taking into account the need to provide protection to the most vulnerable people, mainly to those who live in rural areas, it is that in 2010, monetary transfers, initially through the pilot program, and subsequently,From October of the year 2011 through the National Pension 65 program, to older adults who meet certain requirements such as being 65 years old, not having a retirement pension and being of extreme poverty, this in order to provide a minimum levelof income and avoid the extreme poverty of older adults.

In this way, it is sought that older adults with low resources have a better healthy aging and encourage them to feel less independent.

Finally we can affirm after presenting the aforementioned, this vulnerable group for their physical and psychological condition become more dependent and less productive in their home and civil society. They are not hired or have job opportunities to be able to obtain income.

• Malnutrition and lack of access to health services

The following sub -chapter aims. Also show aspects of disinterest that the authors manifest. Apart from this, we will also announce causes, effects, changes, strategies that optimize nutritional status and everything related to malnutrition and lack of access to health services.

Weight loss is a main factor of maloric protein malnutrition;Changes in weight are usually taken as practical measures to identify the state of nutrition in which our population is. However, other variables can be affected by sudden weight changes that are in isolation with comorbidities or directly with aging and even the body mass index. There are certain strategies that are used to optimize nutritional status, these must be individualized. There are effects that must be treated;as depression, constipation, pain, oral health, conditions that alter the appetite in general. In patients who are institutionalized, prolonged periods of fasting should be avoided, institutional and family support is needed for the necessary help with feeding according to Contreras, Ángel, Romaní, Tejada, Yeh, Ortíz and Tello.

On the other hand, the authors Garcia, Baptista and Quiñones, perform an analysis regarding malnutrition, which refers to why older adults reach this age with many deficiencies, diseases and without the support of the State. The authors emphasize childhood and adolescents, since this defines how adult life will be developed and in the conditions in which you can find. All part from the stages of childhood and adolescence accompanied by malnutrition. This is how these moments are crucial to know the future conditions of older adults.

Malnutrition is one of the points most addressed by these authors, since it is considered to be one of the most important factors that are reflected in the eldest life. This is explained by García, Baptista & Quiñones:

To give effective response to these challenges, we must, in the first place, become aware that people who will be older adults in 2050 have already been born;They are young people who are about 27 years old today and who in their first years of life had to face (in a significant proportion) a series of difficulties. Thus, child chronic malnutrition affected 37% of them (especially rural areas), 6.5% did not culminate primary school and 24% high school. Also, although these young people, in 81%, are currently part of the economically active population (PEA) only 20% have a formal job and 60% access some health insurance and approximately 82% of them and they do notThey are contributing to a pension system for old age, so it can be expected that precarious existence will be a characteristic of their lives.

We can conclude that the stages of development (childhood, adolescence) with malnutrition condition, are of the utmost importance and influential to determine how in the future it will be the level and quality of life of the elderly person. We can also understand that these deficiencies of malnutrition in childhood and adolescence will go from generation to generation, if these problems are not faced. A change must be made, starting from the starting point of the problem, in this case malnutrition in development stages.

Main actions of the State against the problem of older adults

As announced in the previous chapter, the situation of the Peruvian older adult has become a vulnerable population in the absence of rights recognition. This chapter will demonstrate that the State establishes actions to recognize its rights. It will be addressed what rights are violated towards this population and the consequences they generate. In addition, the solution of the State with strategies against the problem describing programs elaborated to improve the situation in which the elderly are found. Finally, changes and improvements will be explained during the last decade.

• Rights violated by the State

The present subchapter aims to explain and describe the rights violated by the State towards the vulnerable population, since this will help us develop the following sections to explain. First, to be able to understand what rights are violated, it will be describing these rights and the consequences they generate.

Human rights are more violated in older adults and Payhua demonstrates in their research work. Dignity is its starting point, since it is fundamental in human rights and makes us account for the situation in which they are. All fundamental rights are indispensable, equal and important, which is why it must be respected, both by people, officials and the State. As a result of the lack of protection of human rights, we can get to make a social analysis and this is what Payhua points out:

Human rights are also a fundamental instrument for the analysis of social inequalities and to correct discriminatory practices and unfair access to economic, social and political resources necessary for the satisfaction of fundamental needs, which hinder the achievement of the well -being of each persono Social group and progress in human development.

It is concluded that fundamental rights influence the social sphere and thus we can see that there is great inequality in the country. Many receive quality care, have medical assistance every month and more facilities in health care are provided and in the case of older adults it is not so. The elderly has to make two days to obtain a vacancy, they are not given special facilities or treatment for these people and we see that in the provinces many hospitals violate the right to health, for the simple fact of not paying or notHave the papers required for attention. But not only are they violated the right to health, but there are also others and this was pointed out by Garcia, Baptista and Quiñones:

1st Right to family life, 2nd right to decent living conditions, 3rd Right to Integral Health, 4th Right to a life free of violence, 5th Right to Education and Culture, 6th Right toan adequate income, 7th right to participate and decide and 8th right to state protection.

This situation is not only seen in the capital, but in the provinces where situations are much worse. We see that there are not enough programs that encourage the protection of human rights and guidance to enforce their rights.

Many older adults refer to pointing out that they are already used to leading this lifestyle, do not expect the help of the government or family members when the State should not only worry about the modernization of the country but also in human development, improve their life and providethe due protection of fundamental rights for vulnerable populations.

Payhua makes us a more substantial explanation regarding this:

Living this situation seems to be the only solution that finds in some way to be able to cope with it. If the importance of the support network, understanding, quality of life and love that older adults within the family should be taken into account, this would be totally different from those lived today. All changes are due to the modernization that countries carry to cease to be underdeveloped, leaving aside the human factor and the family basis that is so important for strengthening values in people.

On the other hand, Garcia R. , Baptist r. and quiñones n. They explain that one of the important rights for the elderly is the right to decent living conditions since poverty is one of the factors by which they are affected and the authors explain that:

In the case of Peru, the most used indicators are two: the one that measures monetary poverty and that of unsatisfied basic needs;These, combined, give rise to an integrated poverty index that reflects a little better that multidimensional reality from which we speak. In addition, the caloric deficit indicator allows another approach to the topic .

Garcia r., Baptist r. and quiñones n., They also refer to the right outside a life of violence pointing out that physical, psychic, emotional and sexual abuse are abuse that damages their integrity. The authors explain:

The abuse towards older people is often unnoticed. Until recently, this serious social problem was hidden from the public and considered as an essentially private matter. All this has led to a sub -registration and the available statistics do not reflect this serious problem in all its dimension.

In short, the rights that are violated towards the elderly population by the State are notable and that is reflected in our society. In Peru, arriving at this age does not mean having a decent life but be afraid of the deficiencies and not being able to have a retirement salary and the support of the State. We need the State to ignore the needs that older adults have and seek or elaborate strategies to be able to better the quality of life of Peruvian society.

• Preparation of strategies by the Peruvian State

How we can observe already addressed how the State violates certain rights of our older adults, this sub -chapter describes the strategies by the State to combat this problem. Next, we will talk about how certain strategies are applied through programs and help plans for the vulnerable population and how they benefit from these strategies.

The State in the attempt to deal with the problems existing in the population, specifically in older adults, begin to become aware that it is not only about the modernization of the country but also focus on society and evaluate in the situation in whichwe meet.

To improve this situation, the Peruvian State creates pilot programs of assists, which although many of these had positive response, others did not achieve the success that was expected. The authors García, Baptista and Quiñones, (2018) make a mention of the different pilot programs launched and are:

In 2010, through DU 059-2010, the Peruvian Government created the Pilot of Solidarity Assistance “Gratitude” by the Mimdes, in coordination with the Together Program, aimed at people over 75 years in extreme poverty. Two years later, through DS 081-2011-PCM, the Pension 65 program was created, which assumed the beneficiaries of the Gratitude program. The 65 pension increased the amount of monetary transfer to S/ 125 per month for each person and reduced age to benefit from this benefit, while incorporated access to health services. As an implementation strategy, it preferably focused on the rural population, until its coverage increased by just over 500 thousand older adults.

According to this, older adults felt the presence of the State, perhaps not in their entirety but there was already an interest in between. In short, pilot assistance programs gave hope to older adults and make them feel that they were not alone.

Peru is no stranger to cases of psychological, physical and sexual violence towards older people, it is often irreversible and can cause death. It has ceased to be a private issue to become a primary problem for the State by which you had to elaborate different strategies to prevent and talk the health of these people, since not being able to defend themselves are more vulnerable to receiving insults or aggressions. Therefore, Martina. M & Others mentions that the State by the Ministry of Women and Social Development was created the “National Program Against Family and Sexual Violence” that aims to execute actions nationwide to provide attention and help to the people who havebeen victims of violence so that they can have a better development. In addition, they have services named Emergency Centers Women where they serve cases of family violence for free, have 114 establishments distributed throughout the country. Affected people can find legal defense, psychological help and social care. As we can see in the text the State has provided strategies to combat this problem.

On the other hand, in the year 2000 a multisectoral commission was formed for the formulation of a national plan of the elderly (planpam). Since June 16, 2013 they have the 2013-2017 Planpam: "promoting healthy and active aging". This is to help improve the quality of life of the vulnerable elderly population. All this is based on 4 essential national laws: a) Employment, forecast and social security;b) Education, conscience, culture about aging and old age;c) Participation and social integration and healthy aging. The plan was prepared taking into account and considering the basic approaches that guide the actions of the sector: gender equality, interculturality, human rights, as well as the intergenerational approach.

According to Olivera, J., & Clausen, J, there are policies that the Peruvian State has implemented for the protection of older adults who lies in social and economic fields for their well -being. According to the authors, they explain the policies with economic guidance by which there are: contributory pensions, non -contributory pensions. This type of pension helps the adult population to their subsistence and for the satisfaction of their needs. The authors add and explain that:

It is necessary to remember that there are pension systems with a lower relative importance such as the regime of personnel, military and police and also other systems that are currently closed for the entry of new affiliates but that continue to pay pensions such as theCase of the Fisherman’s Social Benefits Fund and that of the State Workers called Live ID.

On the other hand another strategy prepared by the State, according to Olivera, J., & Clausen, J. . They are the centers of attention, whereby there are several centers such as the Integral Centers for the Elderly (CIAM), Centers of the Elderly (CAM), the Circles of the Elderly (Ciram), the Clubs of the Elderly (CAM), Residential Care Centers for Older Adults (CARPAM). All these centers, according to the authors, improve the well -being of the elderly when receiving attention and feeling important within society.

Olivera, J., & Clausen, J.  They explain about "the strategy include to grow" explaining that:

This strategy is based on the so -called "life cycle approach" and to such a extent has five policy axes, namely: child nutrition, early childhood development, integral development of childhood and adolescence, economic inclusion and protection of AM.

In conclusion, the State elaborates strategies for the protection of the elderly in civil society that in some cases are not very effective due to short budgets or do not reach urban areas that is where more support is needed. They are used from pensions to life insurance for this vulnerable population, but for more effort that the condition of older adults makes the condition unfortunate today is worrying and the necessary measures are not taken to preserve their health or quality of life. Finally, with what is presented throughout the chapter we can affirm that national plans such as PRAM and health establishments for the care of older adults in many cases do not cover the protection of the entire adult population.

Conclusions

• According to the monograph made, we can conclude that during the last decade the elderly are considered a vulnerable population by many factors that generate the rejection of civil society and that their rights are not recognized as the others.
• The consequences such as the lack of access to health services, discrimination in the labor market in the last decade and other factors that affect the well -being of the elderly population are due to the advanced age of this population where civil society interpretsthat at older is less efficient
• The Peruvian State has been advancing with the integration of older adults within civil society by executing programs that allow the non -violation of their fundamental rights such as work, access to health centers, integrity, etc.
• In recent years, the elderly population has been growing but in view of the programs carried out by the Peruvian State, equality is being promoted both in the labor market and in recognition of rights.
• As part of civil society, we must take into account the great vulnerability of this population and above all help to encourage their protection and well -being since they have the same rights as all of us.