Considering questions related to South and Central America probably is best done by using the better-known term of Latin America. Although much of the history of the region has common roots, many specificities make these countries somewhat heterogeneous. However, one can say that ageing in the region has been accelerated and diverse from what was witnessed in more affluent countries elsewhere in the world, because of the persistent problem of poverty still unresolved in Latin America. The over-60 population has been growing in the region for the past 30 years, producing an increase in old-age indices and old-age dependency ratios. This raises important issues about the social protection models that should be adopted to cope with these demographic trends.
Using grip strength to compute physical health-adjusted old age dependency ratios