With the COVID-19 crisis disproportionately affecting certain vulnerable groups, one of the emerging lessons points to the need to strengthen social protection approaches to ensure the elderly are not left behind. In Chile, the elderly are expected to make up one-third of the population by 2050, but they are far from being a homogenous group.

This was laid bare during the first year of the pandemic, where there was a significant uptick in the number of calls received via Fono Mayor, a telephone line set up by the Government to provide information and support for the elderly, with requests from physical to psychosocial assistance. Read More