Ecuador

Resumen

Reports that Ecuador faces a problem associated with the relative increase in the number of elderly, a population segment characterized by comorbidity, fragility, dependence, social uprooting, and poverty requiring a complex and up-to-date response. The reforms established in the 2008 constitution require an institutional response that, even though the law calls for a gradual implementation subject to the availability of funding, demands greater and better quality. The Elderly Pension, administered by the Programa de Protección Social (PPS), ensures a minimum level of income but fails to accomplish the task and to fulfill the rights established by the constitution. Updating the Law for the Elderly and the Intergenerational Equality Agenda that the Secretaría Nacional de Planificación y Desarrollo (SENPLADES) must develop remains an important but necessary challenge to adequately attend to the elderly population according to their specific needs and with a view toward fulfilling the rights established in the current constitution.