Dignified Aging: Experience Report at the Municipal Council for the

Rights of the Elderly of Rio De Janeiro (COMDEPI-RIO)

Vanessa Pinto

, Maria João Antunes

and Tânia Valente

DigiMedia, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, Aveiro, Portugal

Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Departamento de Saúde Coletiva, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Keywords: Elderly Policy, Aging, Social Participation, Social Inclusion, Health Management, Social Management.

Abstract: The paper presents insights from the experience of serving as a government representative on the Rio de

Janeiro Municipal Council for the Rights of the Elderly (COMDEPI-RIO) in 2023. The objective was to

analyze the management of municipal public policies from the perspective of equitable participation, consid-

ering criteria such as the selection of representatives, speeches by council members, and participatory evalu-

ation of actions. The methodology adopted combined participant observation with documentary analysis, in-

cluding the review of laws, minutes, and internal regulations, in addition to direct monitoring of regular and

extraordinary meetings and council activities, such as technical visits and decentralized assemblies. The re-

sults pointed to significant challenges in implementing public policies aligned with national legal require-

ments. Weaknesses were identified in intersectoral coordination, with overlapping competencies between the

federal, state, and municipal levels, in addition to budgetary limitations that directly impacted the execution

of the municipal action plan for the elderly. A predominance of government voices was observed in the de-

liberations, marginalizing the contributions of civil society. The conclusions highlight the need to strengthen

integration between government levels, expand social participation through more inclusive tools, and invest

in ongoing training for council members.

1 INTRODUCTION

Population aging is a global phenomenon that has had

a profound impact on society, especially in Brazil.

According to data from the Brazilian Institute of

Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the country faces a

low birth rate combined with a significant increase in

life expectancy, drastically transforming its age

pyramid (IBGE, 2024).

The declining birth rate is a result of cultural and

economic shifts. Families are choosing to have fewer

children due to factors such as expanded access to

education, urbanization, and economic stability. In

São Paulo and Minas Gerais, for example, fertility

rates have fallen to about 1.5 children per woman,

below the population replacement rate of

approximately 2.1. This trend reduces the number of

young people in the population, directly affecting the

demographic composition.

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3707-0371

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7819-4103

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5735-5983

On the other hand, life expectancy at birth in

Brazil has increased to 76.5 years, surpassing

historical averages. In the state of Rio de Janeiro, this

expectancy reached 76.8 years, demonstrating

advances in public health and living conditions. With

more people living longer, the proportion of elderly

people in the population is growing rapidly. IBGE

projects that by 2030, states such as São Paulo and

Minas Gerais will have around 20% of their

population composed of people aged 60 or over,

representing an increase of approximately 1.5 million

elderly people in São Paulo alone.

These figures have direct implications for public

policy. Governments need to adapt health, social

security and welfare services to meet the needs of this

growing segment of the population. In addition, low

birth rates require revisions to social security systems,

as fewer young people contribute to the benefits of

retirees.

Pinto, V., Antunes, M. J. and Valente, T.

Digniﬁed Aging: Experience Report at the Municipal Council for the Rights of the Elderly of Rio De Janeiro (COMDEPI-RIO).

DOI: 10.5220/0013505800003938

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 11th Inter national Conference on Information and Communication Technologies for Ageing Well and e-Health (ICT4AWE 2025), pages 453-458

ISBN: 978-989-758-743-6; ISSN: 2184-4984

453

The aging population in Rio de Janeiro, reflected

in the increase in life expectancy and the decrease in

the birth rate, demands effective public policies to

ensure dignified and sustainable aging. This

challenge is directly aligned with the United Nations

2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals

(SDGs), in particular SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-

being), which seeks to ensure healthy lives and

promote well-being for all at all ages, and SDG 10

(Reduced Inequalities), which aims to reduce

inequalities within and between countries. The

actions of COMDEPI-RIO are therefore crucial to

achieving these global goals.

Active ageing is a concept that refers to an ageing

process that promotes health, well-being and full

participation in society. The term has been widely

disseminated by the World Health Organization

(WHO) and encapsulates the idea that, as the world’s

population ages, it is essential to ensure that

individuals can continue to play meaningful roles in

their communities, while maintaining their health and

quality of life. Rather than viewing ageing as a

passive or negative process, active ageing emphasizes

the importance of keeping older adults physically,

mentally and socially engaged throughout their lives

(WHO, 2002). Policies aimed at active and healthy

aging are essential to ensure that this age group

remains productive and integrated into society.

At the international level WHO launched the

Global strategy and action plan on ageing and health

(2017), which guides governments in promoting age-

friendly environments, integrated care and combating

ageism. In addition, the United Nations Decade of

Healthy Ageing (2021-2031) reinforces the need for

an intersectoral approach to address contemporary

demographic challenges (UN, 2021).

In Brazil, the rights and well-being of the elderly

population are guaranteed by a set of comprehensive

laws that guide public policies in health, social

assistance, social participation and combating

prejudice. In 1994, Federal Law No. 8.842

established the National Policy for the Elderly and

created the National Council of the Rights of the

Elderly (NCRE). The creation of NCRE encouraged

the establishment of specific funds for the elderly in

each municipality.

These funds are made up primarily of federal

resources, originating from budgetary allocations,

applications in the financial market and donations

from individuals or legal entities, with the advantage

that donations are tax deductible. Despite the

initiative, dependence on federal resources due to

insufficient municipal budgets, the lack of

coordination between management levels, with

overlapping responsibilities and duplicated actions,

and the difficulties in raising funds via income tax

have harmed and, in some cases, making the

operation of municipal support structures for the

elderly unfeasible.

In 2003, the Statute of the Elderly (Law No.

10.741/2003) was created, consolidating rights in

areas such as health, education, and social security. In

2019, the National Pact for the Implementation of the

Rights of the Elderly reinforced the commitment to

guidelines such as friendly environments,

comprehensive health, and combating ageism.

However, Brazil's territorial heterogeneity poses

challenges to the implementation of these policies,

requiring multisectoral engagement and recognition

of the elderly as subjects of rights.

2 COUNCILS FOR THE RIGHTS

OF THE ELDERLY

Councils for the rights of the elderly are structured at

three levels:

▪ Federal level: the NCRE created by

government Law No. 8.842/1994, formulates

and articulates policies, monitors the elderly

statute and promotes studies in partnership

with other councils. Composed of government

and civil society representatives, it ensures

social participation in the construction of

public policies;

▪ State level: in Rio de Janeiro, the State Council

for the Defense of the Rights of the Elderly

(CEDEPI-RJ), established by State Law No.

2.536/1996, acts as a regulatory and

supervisory body. CEDEPI-RJ contributes to

the implementation of policies defined by the

CNDI, adapting them to local peculiarities and

promoting greater integration between the

federal and municipal levels;

▪ Municipal level: COMDEPI-RIO, established

by Municipal Law No. 5.208/2010, is a joint

council with responsibilities such as:

formulation and monitoring of the Municipal

Plan for the Elderly; inspection of long-term

care facilities and promotion of public

hearings and intersectoral coordination.

2.1 Public Participation and Social

Management

The effectiveness of public policies formulated by

councils depends fundamentally on the active

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454

participation of civil society. In this context, public

participation and social management emerge as

essential pillars to ensure that the demands and needs

of the elderly population are incorporated into

government decisions. At COMDEPI-RIO public

participation is encouraged through open meetings

and decentralized assemblies.

Today, citizens and community members can be

informed about political decisions that affect them

before they are formalized. There is a growing

demand for active voice, participation in projects and

direct involvement in decisions, which defines the

concept of public participation. Public participation is

“the process by which the concerns, needs and values

of the public are incorporated into governmental and

corporate decision-making” (Creighton, 2005, p. 7).

It is a dialogue between society and government,

where citizen contributions make decisions fairer and

communities more inclusive.

This participation strengthens social management

by giving legitimacy and representativeness to

policies. By involving citizens in identifying

problems, proposing solutions and evaluating results,

social management becomes responsive to the

demands of society, promoting collaboration between

the State and the population. Unlike traditional

management models, social management prioritizes

collective well-being and the resolution of social

problems over economic objectives (França Filho,

2008).

Authors such as Allebrandt (2001) and Tenório

(1998) advocate participatory management models

based on social articulation, information exchange

and power sharing between public and private actors.

Despite efforts to encourage participation in

COMDEPI-RIO assemblies, elderly engagement in

public consultations remains low. Attendance records

indicate that only around 30 individuals participated,

despite a potential audience of over one million. This

underscores structural barriers, including digital

exclusion and insufficient outreach efforts.

3 METHODOLOGY

This qualitative experience reports the experience of

a government health representative on COMDEPI-

RIO in 2023. Although experience reporting is often

seen as a source of knowledge with a high degree of

1 Municipal Secretariat of Social Assistance (SMAS);

Municipal Secretariat of Health (SMS) and Municipal

Secretariat of Healthy Aging and Quality of Life

(SEMESQV)

subjectivity, it can acquire scientific characteristics

when structured methodologically (Gil, 1999). The

qualitative approach adopted allowed us to

understand the dynamics between social reality and

the researcher's subjectivity. Reality is a construction

influenced by individual experiences and interaction

with the world. In this context, the unsystematic

observational research focused on the spaces of social

participation used by the population, following

regular and extraordinary meetings, thematic

committees and actions of COMDEPI-RIO.

The methodology included participant

observation, documentary analysis (laws, minutes,

regulations) and monitoring of regular and

extraordinary meetings and Council actions. Criteria

such as selection of representatives, council members'

speeches and participatory evaluation were analyzed.

Table 1 presents the actions carried out by

COMDEPI-RIO in the period under analysis.

Table 1: COMDEPI-RIO (2023) main actions.

Category/Actions Examples

Standards Committee

Propose rules for the

functioning of the

council

Preparation of rules for

registration and renewal

of entities on the Council

Standardize registration

and renewal processes

for entities

Review of internal

regulations to ensure

transparency in

membershi

criteria

Public Policy

Committee

Establish indicators for

monitoring actions

Definition of metrics to

monitor the application of

resources from the

Municipal Fund for the

Elderl

Mobilization and

Articulation

Coordination with

secretariats (SMAS,

SMS, SEMESQV)

Presentation of services

offered to the elderly at

ordinary (12) and

extraordinary (2) meetings

Mobilization for

technological projects

Submission of the media

training project for elderly

people to access new

technolo

ies

Oversight

Technical visits to

institutions

Carrying out 28 visits to

assess the

registration/renewal of

Long-Term Care

Institutions

Digniﬁed Aging: Experience Report at the Municipal Council for the Rights of the Elderly of Rio De Janeiro (COMDEPI-RIO)

455

Table 1: COMDEPI-RIO (2023) main actions (cont.).

Cate

/Actions Exam

les

Knowledge

Dissemination

Lectures with partners

Partnerships for debates

on health, health

surveillance and public

management

Equitable

Participation

Method of choosing

resentatives

Government

representatives: appointed

by the Mayor, Civil

societ

and direct election

Participatory processes

in discourses

Deliberations in open

assemblies, with priority

given to the voice of

elderly people

Resource Allocation

Application of

resources from the

Municipal Fund for the

Elderl

Purchase of uniforms for

beneficiaries; Acquisition

of air conditioning for

Community Homes

Delivery of food cards to

1300 elderly people

Table 2 describes the methodological framework to

analyze the actions of COMDEPI-RIO in 2023.

Table 2: Framework to analyze the actions of COMDEPI-

RIO (2023).

Methods/Techniques Objective

Document analysis/

Laws, ordinances,

internal regulations,

minutes

Verify compliance of

the Council's actions with

current legislation

Participant

Observation/

Monitoring

of ordinary and

extraordinary meetings

thematic committees

Understand the

decision-making

dynamics and the

interaction between

counselors an

societ

Participatory

Evaluation/Records of

decentralized assemblies

Map elderly

perception about

implemented public

olicies

The methodology adopted combines documentary

analysis with participant observation, which allowed

for the comparison of normative data with the

operational reality of the Council. The participatory

evaluation revealed dissonances between the official

discourse and the perception of the elderly.

Participatory methodologies are widely advocated in

international literature to democratize decisions and

promote equity. Incorporating public concerns and

values results in fairer and more inclusive policies

(Creighton, 2005).

4 RESULTS

The Council has been active in several areas that are

crucial to the well-being of the elderly population. In

terms of regulations, the Standards Committee has

drawn up clear rules for the registration and renewal

of entities, in addition to reviewing the internal

regulations, ensuring transparency in membership

criteria.

The Public Policy Committee, in turn, focused on

the participation of various stakeholders in the

assemblies and on monitoring programs of the Senior

Citizens Policy. It also established indicators to

monitor the application of resources from the

Municipal Senior Citizens Fund, demonstrating a

commitment to responsible and efficient management.

Mobilization and coordination with departments

such as SMAS, SMS and SEMESQV, aiming to

present services to the elderly at the assemblies, is

another positive point. Mobilization for technological

projects, with emphasis on media education for the

elderly, also deserves recognition, showing that the

council is aware of new technologies and the digital

inclusion of the elderly population. According to

studies conducted by the International Longevity

Centre, the limited engagement of older adults in

digital activities is largely attributed to factors such as

insufficient technological skills, limited access to the

internet and negative perceptions about its relevance.

To overcome these barriers, it is recommended to

implement digital literacy programs adapted to the

specific needs of this population (ILC, 2020).

The inspection of institutions through technical

visits demonstrates the Council's dedication to the

quality of services provided to the elderly. The

dissemination of knowledge, through lectures in

partnership with various entities, addressing topics

such as health, health surveillance and public

management, is essential to keep society informed

and engaged in defending the rights of the elderly.

The discussion on how to choose representatives

and the adoption of participatory processes in

assemblies, prioritizing the voice of the elderly,

highlights the importance that the Council gives to

participation and representation.

Finally, the allocation of resources from the

Municipal Fund for the Elderly to purchase uniforms

for projects, air conditioning for Community Homes

and delivery of food cards demonstrates the Council's

commitment to the well-being and quality of life of

the elderly population.

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5 DISCUSSION

The articulation between theoretical assumptions and

the practice observed at COMDEPI-RIO reveals

significant gaps that demand critical reflection.

Although models such as Creighton's (2005) defend

public participation as a mechanism for incorporating

citizen demands into policies, and Tenório (1998)

emphasizes participatory management to balance

power, the reality of the Council showed dissonances.

For instance, although the Council maintains a

parity structure, an analysis of 14 meeting minutes

indicates that government representatives initiated

most deliberations (28 proposals), often sidelining

contributions from civil society. This contradiction

reflects the limitations of theories that assume equal

participation in contexts marked by institutional

power asymmetries. Furthermore, the low

participation of elderly people in public consultations,

as recorded in attendance lists of around 30 elderly

people for a population of around 1 million,

contrasting with the ideal of responsive social

management (França Filho, 2008), suggests the need

to adapt theoretical models to the local sociocultural

reality, incorporating barriers against ageism and

digital exclusion. These findings reinforce that the

effectiveness of policies requires not only the

adoption of participatory frameworks, but also their

critical contextualization in the dynamics of power

and access faced by the elderly population.

The experience as a counselor at COMDEPI-RIO

highlighted structural and operational challenges in

implementing public policies for the elderly. The

main obstacles include:

▪ Weakness in intergovernmental coordination:

the lack of synergy between the federal, state

and municipal levels resulted in overlapping

responsibilities, duplication of actions and

difficulties in raising funds, especially those

from donations via income tax;

▪ Limited financial resources: dependence on

federal funds and insufficient municipal

budget impacted the implementation of the

Action Plan, directly affecting the quality of

life of the elderly.

Furthermore, the low participation of older people

in public assemblies, evidenced by limited

participation in relation to the potential audience,

reveals structural barriers such as digital exclusion

and the lack of adequate dissemination of activities.

This digital exclusion directly impacts the ability

of older people to fully participate in civic life and

access essential services, making it difficult to

achieve SDG 4 (Quality Education), which promotes

lifelong learning opportunities for all, and SDG 16

(Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions), which aims

to ensure inclusive participation in decision-making.

To overcome these barriers, it is crucial to invest in

digital literacy programs tailored to the needs of older

adults, as recommended by the International

Longevity Centre (ILC, 2020).

Accessible digital platforms, such as those

proposed by the WHO age-friendly cities and

communities (WHO, 2023), can facilitate older

people’s participation in decision-making processes.

These initiatives combine technology with human

support, ensuring that cognitive or physical barriers

do not exclude older people from public life.

Internationally, initiatives such as the European

Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing

(European Commission, 2024) demonstrate how

partnerships between government, the private sector

and academia can promote technological and social

innovation in the field of healthy ageing. These

models can inspire local practices of inter-

institutional cooperation in Brazil.

6 CONCLUSIONS

Ensuring dignified aging in Rio de Janeiro requires an

intersectoral approach that promotes equity,

transparency, and the appreciation of the rights of

older people, in line with the principles of the UN

2030 Agenda. Although COMDEPI-RIO’s actions

face significant challenges, they are essential to

achieving the SDGs related to health, education,

reducing inequalities, and promoting effective and

participatory institutions. It is necessary to strengthen

integration between levels of government, expand

social participation through more inclusive tools, and

invest in ongoing training for councilors, ensuring

that public policies for older people contribute to a

fairer and more sustainable future for all.

The analysis carried out at COMDEPI-RIO

highlighted structural challenges in the

implementation of public policies for the elderly,

such as weak intersectoral coordination, budgetary

limitations and low participation of the elderly in

public assemblies. To overcome these difficulties, the

following recommendations are suggested:

▪ Intergovernmental articulation: adopt models

which promotes collaboration between

government, the private sector and academia,

avoiding overlapping skills;

▪ Expanding social participation through digital

tools: implement accessible platforms, such as

Digniﬁed Aging: Experience Report at the Municipal Council for the Rights of the Elderly of Rio De Janeiro (COMDEPI-RIO)

457

simplified apps and user-friendly interfaces, to

facilitate older people’s participation in public

consultations;

▪ Empowering counselors: promote periodic

workshops on active aging and human rights

where professionals receive specific training

to deal with geriatric issues;

▪ Promote international cooperation: adapt

successful initiatives from other countries;

▪ Combating stereotypes and ageism: launch

educational campaigns, based on the United

Nations Global strategy and action plan on

ageing and health (UN, 2017), highlighting the

positive contributions of older people to

society.

Aging with dignity presents both a challenge and

an opportunity to build more inclusive and equitable

societies. Achieving this goal requires intersectoral

strategies that integrate health, technology, and

education, fostering comprehensive solutions that can

effectively improve the lives of older adults. The

experience at COMDEPI-RIO showed that

participatory management, combined with the

strengthening of digital literacy, is essential to

increase the autonomy, voice and social inclusion of

this population. This is a crucial step towards active

and healthy aging, where each elderly person is

recognized as a subject of rights and protagonist of

their own story.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to thank COMDEPI-RIO for their

support and dedication.

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