Vejez y demencia en Chile: Una lectura de las políticas públicas desde la biología cultural de Humberto Maturana y Ximena Dávila

Population aging and the prevalence of dementia pose urgent challenges in Chile, calling for a deep review and analysis of their cultural foundations. The aim of this essay is to analyze the reality of old age and dementia in Chile through a critical review of the regulatory framework and the cultural bases that, from our perspective, sustain it. The work is developed as a theoretical-documentary study based on Chilean legislation and public policies (2017–2025), which are interpreted through the cultural biology of Humberto Maturana and Ximena Dávila. This reading suggests that current strategies maintain a predominantly biomedical and welfare-oriented approach, characterized by operational fragmentation and limited integration of relational care. This analysis reveals a patriarchal culture that perpetuates deficit-based biases and ageism, marginalizing what is deemed non-productive. It concludes that a transition is needed toward a culture of collaboration grounded in the biology of love and a generational approach that promotes healthy environments, ensuring the validation of older persons as legitimate beings in coexistence.