Aging in Mexico is advancing rapidly, but the health system and public policies are still not prepared to address its implications, particularly for women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This was one of the central conclusions of the panel Aging in Mexico and challenges in women\u2019s health<\/em>, held during the Second Symposium on Aging and Longevity<\/a>, organized by Tec de Monterrey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The discussion was moderated by Cristina Chuck<\/a>, leader of the Health Research Hub at the School of Engineering and Sciences<\/a> (EIC), and featured Sara Morales<\/a>, researcher at the Institute of Cellular Physiology<\/a> at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM); Ra\u00fal Medina<\/a>, Director of Research at the National Institute of Geriatrics<\/a> (Inger); Jonathan Maga\u00f1a, leader of the Aging and Longevity Research Group at EIC; and Sergio Alva, from the Mexican Association of Retirement Assistance<\/a> (AMAR).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Specialists in neuroscience, geriatrics, bioengineering, and retirement systems agreed that the country faces a multidimensional challenge that goes beyond the clinical sphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the most forceful diagnoses was that Mexico\u2019s health system is not prepared for population aging\u2014much less for addressing its specific impacts on women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs the number of older women continues to grow, Mexico doesn\u2019t need to worry\u2014it needs to act,\u201d said Morales. A lack of infrastructure, a shortage of geriatric specialists, and institutional fragmentation limit adequate care for a rapidly growing population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is compounded by a structural issue: a reactive approach. Instead of prioritizing prevention, interventions often arrive when diseases are already advanced. However, experts emphasized that many conditions associated with aging\u2014such as cardiovascular, metabolic, or neurodegenerative diseases\u2014can be prevented up to a decade in advance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere is a critical window between ages 35 and 45 in which, if action is taken, the health trajectory of women can be very different,\u201d warned Alva.<\/p>\n\n\n\n