Public policies in Guatemala for older people from the social determination of health

Abstract

Introduction: Public policies respond to development models formulated by international organizations, which are not always adapted to each country. Guatemala presents policies for older people that contemplate comprehensive quality health services, economic support, education and basic services, based fundamentally on human rights. However, most Guatemalans reach old age without enjoying them; in addition, public health services do not cover these needs, they are scarce and centralized. Objective: To analyze public policies in Guatemala for older people from the perspective of the social determination of health. Methods: A narrative review was carried out, using articles from journals indexed in Scopus, documents from web pages, theses contained in institutional repositories and the Legal Framework of Guatemala. Results: The policies analyzed allude to the fact that older people should be treated with respect, dignity, economic, social, cultural and political rights. However, the enforceability and justifiability of the regulatory framework to address the deficiencies, needs and perspectives of this population is not evident. Conclusions: The critical and intercultural approach of the policies designed must consider the participation of actors with proposals that are in correspondence with the particularities of Guatemalan society. It is necessary to rethink government projects, away from a medicalized, technocratic and unicultural sense, so that attention is paid to the health of older people as a complex, multidimensional and dialectically determined object based on living conditions and their relationship with well-being.