Articles

Aging at Home in Costa Rica: Building Sustainable Home-Based Care and Support for Older People
Remaining at home is an important goal for many older people in Costa Rica, but aging at home depends on much more than the availability of a house or a willing family. This article examines how SINCA, CONAPAM, Red de Cuido, home-based support, family caregiving, workforce development, housing, technology and community infrastructure can combine to make independence at home safer, more sustainable and more equitable. Read more...
Costa Ricaโ€™s Universal Health System and Long-Term Care: Where Healthcare and Social Support Meet
Costa Ricaโ€™s universal healthcare system provides a powerful foundation for healthy aging, but medical coverage alone cannot meet the everyday support needs created by dependency. This article examines how CCSS, primary care, hospitals, rehabilitation, SINCA, families and community services intersect, and how stronger coordination could improve transitions, preserve independence, reduce avoidable hospital dependence and create a more coherent pathway between healthcare and long-term support. Read more...
Who Pays for Long-Term Care in Costa Rica? Funding, Families and Public Responsibility
Costa Ricaโ€™s long-term care is financed through more than government budgets: public programs, institutional resources, households, private purchasing and large amounts of unpaid family care all contribute. This article examines how those costs are distributed, how SINCA could make financing more coherent, and why sustainable reform must consider affordability, caregiver burden, workforce capacity, service quality and the value created by supporting people to remain independent. Read more...
Costa Ricaโ€™s National Care System: Building an Integrated Approach to Care and Support
Costa Rica is turning its National Care Policy into a more coordinated system for adults and older people who need continuing care and support. This article examines how SINCA connects dependency assessment, public institutions, health services, community provision, family caregiving, funding, information and qualityโ€”and why successful integration will depend as much on operational pathways and accountability as on national policy design. Read more...
Population Aging in Costa Rica: Demographic Change and the Future of Long-Term Care
Costa Rica is moving rapidly from a relatively young population structure toward a society in which older people represent a much larger share of the population. This article examines how longer lives, exceptionally low fertility, changing households and a growing older population will reshape long-term care demand, family caregiving, workforce requirements, financing, community services and the implementation of Costa Ricaโ€™s developing national care system. Read more...
Understanding Costa Ricaโ€™s Social Care, Long-Term Care and Community Support System
Costa Rica is developing a more coordinated response to dependency as rapid population aging changes demand for long-term care, disability support and family caregiving. This article examines how SINCA, CCSS, social protection institutions, community organizations and families fit together, and why financing, workforce capacity, assessment, information and local implementation will determine whether national care ambitions translate into reliable support. Read more...