If you look at the 2021 rankings for elderly population percentages (65 years and older) across the world, 1st is Monaco (35.97%), 2nd is Japan (29.79%), and 3rd is Italy (23.68%). Brazil ranks 92nd with 9.58%.
Whatever a country’s ranking, it has an aging population problem, and that includes Brazil.
The “Política Nacional do Idoso” (National Policy for the Elderly) was established in Brazil in 1994, in 2002, the “Conselho Nacional dos Direitos do Idoso” (National Council for the Rights of the Elderly) was set up, and in 2003, the “Estatuto do Idoso” (Statute of the Elderly) was established.
Did you know that October 1 is International Day of Older Persons?
The member states of the United Nations designated this date in 1991.
In Brazil, elderly people are generally considered to be those aged 60 and over. As you approach your 60th birthday, people will congratulate you and at the same time tell you, “It’ll be nice to ride the municipal buses for free,” and “It’ll be nice to be able to use the priority queues for elderly people.” People suddenly start feeling old when they hear such things, but getting older is not bad, in that it does have some sort of benefits.
In practical daily life, there are priority queues for elderly people at banks, post offices, art museums, drugstores, and supermarket checkouts. And here are a few of the other benefits listed in the Statute of the Elderly.
In parking lots, 5% of the spaces are reserved for elderly people. When you use one of these spaces, you need to put a certificate showing that you are an elderly person on top of the dashboard of your car. These certificates are valid for 5 years from the date of issue, then you need to get another one issued. Elderly people are still elderly people after 5 years, so don’t you think re-issuing them is a bit odd? But that’s Brazil. The requirement for the re-issuance is to prevent someone else who isn’t an elderly person from using it.
Recently they have started reserving car parking spaces for elderly people on the street. With these spaces, you get a fine if you park there without showing your certificate.
The “Sistema Único de Saúde” (Unified Health System) also gives elderly people the right to free medications for rehabilitation and health restoration. It applies especially to medications that must be taken on an ongoing basis.
Elderly people can use public transport for free. International bodies define an elderly person as 65 years or older, so some transport bodies stipulate that people aged 65 years or older get free transport. In São Paulo, it is currently free to travel on city buses, subways, and trains for people aged 60 or older.
There is a 50% discount on tickets for cultural and art events.
In some cases, elderly people don’t have to pay tax on the property where they live, but they have to meet detailed conditions for this.
And in some cases, it’s OK for elderly people not to pay income tax, but that too can only go ahead under various conditions.
Does your country provide these sorts of rights to elderly people?
The elderly population is growing in Brazil too, so I guess some other rights might be provided in the near future.
