Disillusionment in old age

Former President Piñera cited in three state of the nation addresses the idea that a country's civilization is measured by how it treats its older adults. Today, the elderly live disillusioned with a model that proclaims them in rhetoric but excludes them in practice. The Judiciary documents the lack of protection. Repeated rulings expose the breakdown of the support network. Negligence and inaccessibility in healthcare, situations of abandonment and social vulnerability, asset-stripping within families, and precariousness under state custody are just some examples of institutional deterioration. Added to this fragility is the erosion of economic autonomy. The latest INE bulletin reveals that the informal employment rate among those aged 65 and over reaches 57.9%. Pension precariousness, despite the advances, creates a scenario prone to tragedies like the story in Spain of Maricarmen Abascal, evicted after seven decades in a property, which shows how the model leaves the elderly unprotected against the market. In 2018, the suicide of an elderly couple in Conchalí shocked the country. After 55 years of marriage, they decided to take their own lives in the face of the imminent hospitalization of one of them due to cancer and senile dementia, in a tragedy that surpassed the plot of Michael Haneke's film "Amour." This event reflects a marked trend of increasing suicide among the elderly, with a critical impact on men over 80, driven by isolation, lack of support networks, and economic precariousness. The digital divide deepens the helplessness. Older adults not only suffer from technological illiteracy, but are also priority victims of crime. Government data revealed that fraud against this group rose from 1,969 cases in 2018 to 9,180 in 2025, an increase of 366%. Law No. 21,822 —comprehensive legislation on older persons— opens an unprecedented door toward their protection. But its effectiveness will depend on the implementing regulations, management capacity, and, fundamentally, on a state budget capable of sustaining in practice what it promises on paper. The 2024 Census eliminates any further postponement, since those over 65 make up 14% of the population, totaling 2.6 million people against a retreating childhood. The demographic wave projected by Senama in its annual report warns that in just ten years this group will reach 27% of the country, with 5.5 million inhabitants, pushing more than a million into the "fourth age" and 11,000 to the century mark. In 2002, former President Lagos warned that old age demanded a profound cultural shift, moving from retirement to the beginning of a new stage. More than two decades later, the country remains far from that goal, because while the demographic winter accelerates, the elderly are still not recognized as the nation's living wealth. In ten more years, those over 60 will make up 35% of the electoral roll — will the system react only when the weight of the ballot box makes it inevitable?By Cristóbal Osorio, professor of Constitutional Law, University of ChileNEWSLETTEROpinionSaturday, AMTensions of ideas, opposing views, and clear analysis: elements to uncover the issues that divide opinions and will set the agenda. By subscribing, you are accepting the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policies of La Tercera.