Studies on Aging and Migration in Latin America and the Caribbean

The relationship between aging and migration has been developed from different topics of interest, marked by the social and migratory characteristics of the territories where the research is carried out. Through a systematic review of the literature, this chapter analyses how the relationship between aging processes and migration in Latin America and the Caribbean has been approached. The results allow us to identify the following lines of development: a) sociodemographic analysis that seeks to raise the impact of migration on the aging process of populations in the countries of departure and arrival of migrants; b) ageing and care, in particular the (re)organisation of care for the elderly when children emigrate. Here, the unequal distribution of care work according to gender and the family-based nature present in Latin American populations is highlighted, where the “moral obligation to care” prevails; c) voluntary or involuntary return of the aged migrant population and the difficulties experienced in the process of social and economic integration in the places of return. d) well-being, health and mental health of older people with direct migration experience (i.e. they were migrants) or indirect (i.e. when a close relative migrated).

Although scientific production on aging and migration is scarce in Latin America, it is possible to visualize the relationship between migration policies and public health, together with the need for specific approaches to address the needs of this population and the new gaps in access to health that are beginning to emerge.