Active Ageing for Quality of Later Life in Mexico. The Role of Physical and Social Environments

Demographic changes in Latin America and the Caribbean have brought with them an acceleration in population ageing. This process has entailed a number of social and economic changes, including transformations in family organization and composition, family and non-family support networks, economic participation of older people and changes to their living, housing and health conditions (CEPAL/CELADE, Manual de indicadores sobre la calidad de vida en la vejez, CELADE, 2006; Huenchuan, Envejecimiento, derechos humanos y politicas publicas, CEPAL, 2009). All these aspects are closely related to the quality of life of the older population. The study of quality of life in old age and its relation to the environment has come to the fore during recent decades. According to CEPAL/CELADE (Manual de indicadores sobre la calidad de vida en la vejez, CELADE, 2006), the concept of favorable environments has to do with socio-cultural and environmental conditions that allow for dignified and secure ageing in one’s community of origin. These environments can be analyzed across two dimensions: social and physical, as determinants of active ageing for quality of later life. Our main aim in this chapter is to analyze the physical and social environments in which older people spend their lives, as well as their satisfaction with those environments, in accordance with their different sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics. The empirical approach for this study is quantitative; we use data from the 2016 Survey on Living Conditions of Older People in Mexico. The main findings included older people expressing satisfaction with their dwellings and neighborhoods, although there is some variation in this respect when individual characteristics (schooling and marital status) are considered along with the characteristics of the older people’s housing. On the other hand, when social environments are analyzed it is seen that the family support given and received is very important among the older population in Mexico. The variables relating to satisfaction with family and friends mainly concern level of education and family arrangements.