Ageing, migration, and old age care in transnational Cuba

Abstract

In Cuba, the number of older people in need of care is increasing rapidly. At the same time, many younger people are leaving the country in search of a better life. This article focuses on these two processes by asking how care for older people is organized when (some) children live abroad. It shows that in the absence of an adequate public old age care infrastructure, a private market for home-based old age care has emerged. This development is linked to the sending of remittances and may potentially exacerbate social inequalities between older people receiving and not receiving money from abroad.