Aging & Social Change: Ninth Interdisciplinary Conference

Abstract

The central hypothesis of this investigation is that the legal, economic and social systems in Chile promote the structural abuse of elderly persons. The general objective of the research is to generate an instrument that allows us to measure the phenomenon of structural abuse. This instrument will contribute to improving the qualitative and quantitative planning of public policy by allowing the evaluation of the public policy through the application of this instrument. The proposal is based on the definition of structural abuse from the National Service of Elderly Persons (Servicio Nacional del Adulto Mayor, SENAMA Chile). The Structural Abuse Mutidimensional Index analyses the severe deprivations that each elderly person experiences simultaneously regarding economic, health, autonomy, and environment dimensions. The economic dimension contains the topics of performance in the labor market, pensions, access to the financial system, and material well-being. The health dimension addresses health systems and integrated care. The autonomy dimension contains the education level, leisure, and recreation and daily life activities. The environment dimension includes training and generational transfer, social participation, transport, and safety. The Structural Abuse Mutidimensional Index generates a comprehensive picture of elderly persons experiencing abuse. These characteristics allow the Structural Abuse Mutidimensional Index to be useful as an analytical tool to determine and diagnose the most at risk elderly persons. The study survey involves approximately four hundred people from Talca, Region de Maule and San Joaquín, Region Metropolitana, both in Chile.