CUBA: Cuba faces aging problem

HAVANA / Xinhua / China / April 1, 2012

Photograph courtesy: periodico26.cu

With more than 18 percent of Cubans now over 60 years old and a shrinking number of those under 14 years old, the island nation faces an aging problem, an official said Friday.

In just over a decade, the average age in Cuba will rise from 38 to 44, while 26 percent of the population will be around 60 years old and there will be a marked increase in age range over 80, Juan Carlos Alfonso Fraga, director of Center for Population and Development of NSB told delegates at an international meeting.

With a declining birth rate, "we will never reach the population of 12 million on the island," Fraga told the participants at the 8th National Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics, including Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Margaret Chan as well as representatives from ten countries.

Cuban experts say that housing problems, low wages and lack of baby products are among the major factors discouraging Cubans to have more children. Increasing social independence has also enabled Cuban women to have more power to decide on their pregnancy.

The NSB reported that the island's population stood at 11,241,161 at the end of 2010, 1,467 less compared to the number in 2009.

Cuba is already one of the most rapidly aging countries in Latin America along with Uruguay and Argentina, and is expected to lead that list in the near future.

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Credit: Reports and photographs are property of owners of intellectual rights. 
Seniors World Chronicle, a not-for-profit, serves to chronicle and widen their reach.

CUBA: "The Grandfathers of Cuban Music" perform in Singapore

BEIJING, China / The People's Daily / Life & Culture / June 30, 2011

Members of the internationally reknown Cuban musical and dance act, "The Bar at Buena Vista - The Grandfathers of Cuban Music", perform for the first time in the Marina Bay Sands Theatre in Singapore, June 29, 2011

Legendary Cuban master, 94-year-old Reynaldo Creagh, performs for the first time in Singapore, June 29, 2011. Members of the internationally reknown Cuban musical and dance act, "The Bar at Buena Vista - The Grandfathers of Cuban Music", perform for the first time in the Marina Bay Sands Theatre in Singapore, June 29, 2011. (Xinhua/Then Chih Wey)

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Credit: Reports and photographs are property of owners of intellectual rights.  
Seniors World Chronicle, a not-for-profit, serves to chronicle and widen their reach.

CUBA: State-subsidized smokes to Cuban seniors headed for the ash heap

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HAVANA, Cuba / Journal Pioneer / August 26, 2010

A program that provided state-subsidized smokes to Cuban seniors is headed for the ash heap.

The communist government announced Wednesday it is cutting cigarettes from its monthly ration books effective Sept. 1, the latest in a series of small steps toward fully eliminating subsidies for food and other basic items that impoverished islanders depend on.

Cubans 55 and older had been eligible to receive three packs of "strong" cigarettes and a pack of milds — 80 cigarettes altogether per month — for 6.50 pesos, or the equivalent of about 30 cents, using their ration books at state-run distribution centres.

The island's lowest-quality cigarettes, the only kinds subsidized, normally cost 7 pesos, or about 33 cents, per pack, while imported or topflight domestic brands can go for $3 or more apiece.

Cuba quitting state-sponsored smoking: Communist govt drops cigarettes from its ration books

Until the 1990s, all Cubans 18 and older received a monthly allotment of cigarettes, but the loss of billions of dollars in annual subsidies from the collapsed Soviet Union forced officials to scale back subsidized smoking. Now even older smokers are out of luck.

"I'm insulted because it's another thing they are taking away from us," said Angela Jimenez, a 64-year-old retiree who lives on a monthly pension of 200 pesos, or about $10.40. Jimenez first took up smoking at 17 but says she will now have to quit because she won't be able to afford them. "I don't know how far they're going to go with this," she said of the subsidy cuts.

The government's announcement made no mention of the health benefits of quitting smoking, saying only that the move was "part of the steps gradually being applied to eliminate subsidies."

Cigarettes are just the latest item to be scrapped from the ration book: Peas and potatoes were dumped in November.

In an additional cost-cutting measure this summer, the government shuttered scores of workplace cafeterias that had fed state employees for virtually nothing, instead giving qualifying Cubans stipends to buy their own food. So far, nearly 250,000 people have seen their government lunches disappear — and officials say further cuts are coming.

Under the existing subsidy system, even nonsmokers accepted cigarette rations, which they then sold on the black market, charging at least 2½ times the subsidized price per pack. Others traded them for rationed items such as salt, sugar, beans, meat, rice, eggs or bread.

Jesus Casanova, a 58-year-old security guard, described the quality of the rationed cigarettes as "awful" — but he collected them every month anyway to feed his elderly neighbour's smoking habit.

"He is a very poor man and he doesn't have the money to smoke anything else," Casanova said. "But now even that's over. I don't know what he's going to do."

Casanova prefers cigars, generally finishing one slender stogie during his 12-hour shift. The island's world-famous cigars were never provided as part of the ration program, however.

Fidel Castro, once the most famous cigar smoker in Cuba — if not the world — famously gave them up under doctors' orders in 1985, and has sporadically urged his fellow islanders to quit.

President Raul Castro's government is trying to cut the weight of subsidies for Cuba's cash-poor economy, a plan that could eventually mean eliminating the entire ration book. A full-page editorial in the Communist Party's Granma newspaper in October suggested the idea, which had long seemed unthinkable.

Critics argue the moves break with what had been a sacred covenant of the Castro brothers' 1959 revolution: that socialism would not make people rich, but would provide all Cubans with at least the basics.

Authorities say their goal is to encourage more productivity and free the state from a crushing economic burden.

Even with the changes, the state still pays for or heavily subsidizes nearly everything including education, health care, housing and transportation. Then again, in a country where almost everyone works for the state, the government only pays salaries of about $20 per month.

The ration program began in 1962 as a temporary way to guarantee basic food for all Cubans in the face of Washington's then-new embargo. It is designed to tide people over, providing a few weeks of food, as well as other occasional staples such as laundry soap and toothpaste.

Associated Press Writer Anne-Marie Garcia contributed to this report

© Copyright 2008 - 2010 Transcontinental

CUBA: Over 1500 Centenarians Live in Cuba

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HAVANA, Cuba / Cuban Daily News / News / May 25, 2010

More than 1500 Cubans have surpassed 100 years, a research coordinated by the National Aged Adult and Social Assistance Direction of the Public Health Ministry stated.

More than 1500 Cubans have surpassed 100 years, a research coordinated by the National Aged Adult and Social Assistance Direction of the Public Health Ministry stated.

The island's 2004-2008 updating of the Centenarians Study shows that 53 people more than two years ago currently surpass that figure, Granma newspaper reported. This states that there is a centenarian per each 7,296 Cubans, and also one per each 1,269 aged adults.

According to information from the National Statistics Office, more than 1 950 000 people surpassing 60 years lived in the island in December.

The international seminar «Satisfactory Longevity: Integral Vision», which includes a centenarians meeting, will be held from Wednesday to Friday at the Nacional Hotel of Cuba, in the presence of delegates from 10 countries. [rc]

Source: cubasi.com

CUBA: Old people from “below” have no power, they also made the Revolution

. HAVANA, Cuba / Havana Times / July 22, 2009 OUR ELDERLY By Irina Echarry They can be seen sitting outside markets or in the parks. Photo: Caridad Children are victims of the way adults behave, so there’s hope that when they grow up they may manage to change some of the things that disturb them. In contrast, elderly people are victims of themselves, of a past that retreats into the distance until it is too far away to reach. There is a widely watched new Cuban soap opera on television these days. Without giving all the details, I could say that it promises to be at least sincere. The first chapters have dealt with the theme of different generations: the conflicts, desires, and difficulties of young and old people who are obliged to live together under the same roof. One old man is nearly an exact reflection of the thousands of old people who walk through our streets daily: willful, grumbling, holding their truth aloft like a flag. Our society is aging - we all know it. Life expectancy is over 75 years of age. However, is an old age with well-being guaranteed? They can be seen sitting on the outskirts of the markets or in the parks, many of them wearing the olive green pants of old uniforms. They sell single cigarettes, small packets of powdered instant drinks, chicken bouillon cubes or plastic bags. The state retirement pension, although it has been increased, doesn’t cover all their expenses. Many suffer from family stress, or from the poor quality of the food in certain diners for old people who have no family care. Some spend their days going back and forth from the market to the bakery, and from the bakery to the market, always alert to what has just come in to eat and standing in long lines to obtain the food. Others have decided to work a small piece of land just when they should be thinking of resting. A few days ago I happened to be standing on a corner of Obispo street, the central artery of Old Havana, when one such elder came up to me: “Child, I’m in an old age home and today they gave me a pass to go out. I need to buy some soap to wash my clothes, but I don’t have enough money. Imagine that, I have very little money…” Fortunately, I had a 25 cent coin and I gave it to him. I expected the man would continue to tell the same story to everyone who came by. Some invent stories in order to ask for money. But no; I saw him go into the shop nearest us and emerge happily with laundry soap in his hands. I felt ashamed of thinking that he had been putting me on. It’s a complex theme, since today’s youth look askance at elderly people. They are the ones who dominate the government and officially rule our lives. But the other old people, those from “below”, those who have no power, also made the Revolution, fought in the Sierra Maestra. They were the women and men who brought the Literacy Crusade to the whole country so that all of us could read and write. They went off to fight in Angola and Ethiopia with the illusion of a better future for the African people. Don’t they deserve a old age with well-being? [rc] Irina Echarry: I enjoy reading, going to the movies and spending time with my friends. Many of the people I love are dead, or are no longer in Cuba. I will do my best to transmit my thoughts, ideas or worries via these pages so you can get to know me. I will give an idea of my age, since it helps explain certain things. I’m over thirty-five, and I think that’s enough information. I don’t have any children yet, or nieces or nephews. There are days when I transform myself into a child with no age at all in order to see life from another angle. It helps me break the monotony and survive in this strange world. © 2009 Havana Times.org

CUBA: Che Guevara's daughter recalls her revolutionary father

. LONDON, England / The Guardian / World News / Cuba After Castro / July 22, 2009 Aleida Guevara talks about having to share her 'Papi' with the world – and her dislike of the commercialisation of his image Libby Brooks, deputy comments editor Aleida Guevara was four and a half when her father left Cuba. Ernesto "Che" Guevara, iconic Argentine guerrilla leader, Marxist theorist and second-in-command of the Cuban revolution, departed the island for Africa in 1965 after falling out of political favour with Fidel Castro. She saw him only once again, before his execution by the CIA-backed Bolivian government two years later. A two-year-old Aleida Guevara in the arms of Fidel Castro, and her father, Che, holding a cigar. Photograph: IMAGNO/ Austrian Archives/ Getty Images Castro granted the visit on condition that it was clandestine. Guevara, concerned that the children's chatter about "Papi's" re-appearance might endanger his family, arrived back in Havana heavily disguised. He was introduced at supper as a friend of their father. "After supper, I fell and hit my head," Aleida recalls. "He was a doctor, of course, so he treated me, but then he picked me up and cuddled me. I remember a feeling of complete protection and tenderness. Later I said to my mother, 'I believe that this man is in love with me.'" She laughs at her childish grandiloquence. "I was only five. But I knew that this man loved me in a very special way. I didn't know that it was my father, though, and he couldn't tell me." Aleida, now 49 and with two daughters of her own, has come to Britain as a guest of the Cuba Solidarity Campaign to promote a year-long festival of Cuban culture. A committed Marxist and medical doctor, just as her father was, the thick, bobbed hair, broad features and deep-set eyes are immediately reminiscent of the face without which no student common room is complete. "When I see [his face] commercialised, or used for advertising," Aleida intones sharply, "I don't like it." Ensconced in a functional committee room at Unison's north London headquarters, Aleida tugs a fine red shirt across her solid shoulders. She has inherited her father's charisma and mellifluous exposition, but exercises it more intimately. Talking about politics, she employs the language of emotion rather than that of arid ideology. Guevara's legacy, she tells me, is his life. "My father knew how to love, and that was the most beautiful feature of him – his capacity to love." She touches my arm. "To be a proper revolutionary, you have to be a romantic. His capacity to give himself to the cause of others was at the centre of his beliefs – if we could only follow his example, the world would be a much more beautiful place." So why is it that Cuba, an island that throughout its history has been coveted, bullied and demonised by mightier nations, continues to draw worldwide fascination? Her answer may seem simplistic, but it is instant: "Because of Cuban men and women. We're a cultured, educated people – and possibly one of the only ones in the world to say no to the United States." Aleida Guevara, now 49. Photo courtesy Sorrivoli.it That "no", of course – regardless of whether it was dictated by an iron regime, as some would argue, or articulated by the populace – has manifested devastating consequences. The vicious embargo imposed on Cuba by the US the year after its revolution continues to suffocate the country. And as a practising paediatrician, Aleida is all too familiar with the daily realities of the blockade. "There was a case of a girl, six months old," she says. "She had a condition where the digestive system would flood with blood, and the only treatment available is patented by the US. Cuba had the money to pay, but not one company in the whole global medicine market would offer it." She presses together her thumb and forefinger in a gesture of frustration. "Any pharmacological distributor daring to deal with Cuba would be investigated by the FBI. The government can pull out investment or boycott their goods. We couldn't get the medicine and the baby was dying. The only sin of that girl was the fact that she was born in Cuba." There has been much speculation about how Barack Obama intends to alter US policy towards Cuba, following his announcement of "a new beginning" to their relationship at a recent Americas summit, and his easing of travel restrictions on Cuban Americans wishing to visit their homeland. Aleida is sceptical. "What Obama has done is to return to the policy that existed under the Clinton administration. There's nothing new here. He promised to close Guantánamo, but that hasn't been done. There is a lack of continuity between what he says and what he does. So far we haven't seen anything that would indicate a change of course. "If the blockade was lifted, things would change immeasurably. The Cuban economy would flower. That's the missing link." Coincidentally, in advance of Aleida's visit, the Cuba Solidarity Campaign has unearthed what are believed to be the earliest colour photographs of her father, taken by a British international brigade volunteer who travelled to the island in 1960, the summer before Aleida was born. The elderly woman unearthed her slides in a shoebox full of mementoes, never having realised the significance of the man she snapped on her colour camera. So how did Aleida feel when she first saw the photographs? "It was beautiful," she says. "The woman who took the photos actually worked in Cuba building a school. So even in the old days there were people giving their solidarity. That's the value of the photos to me." Her father looks like he always did, she says; natural and with people surrounding him. "I'm very grateful to this woman for giving me a piece of him that I knew existed but had never seen. But what I am most grateful for is that she remains in solidarity with Cuba." Her mother will be pleased to see them too, she adds. Aleida March was a member of Castro's guerrilla army when she met her future husband in the Cuban bush, and impressed him with her knowledge of the local terrain (Guevara was previously married to exiled Peruvian revolutionary Hilda Gadea). Now in her 70s, March has published a memoir about her life with Guevara, and how she raised their four children after his death. "You can buy it in any language you want except English," her daughter teases. "Do you read Turkish?" The ideals of both parents inevitably influenced Aleida's own consciousness, but you can't impose ideals on children, she cautions. "You can only show by example." It sounds far-fetched that a man intent on fomenting leftwing revolution in post-colonial Congo would find the time to make up animal stories for his faraway children, but Aleida says he did just that. "My father didn't have the opportunity to enjoy our childhoods. But when he was away, which was most of the time, he would send us stories and drawings on postcards. My brother Camilo was told off at nursery school for using swearwords, and my mother confronted Che because he had a habit of swearing – as all Argentinians do," she notes archly. "He was in Africa and he wrote to Camilo telling him that he couldn't swear at school, or Pépé the Caiman [a reptilian character invented by Guevara] would bite off Che's leg." She grabs my calf. "So he had to stop swearing to protect his father." Domestic as these reminiscences are, Che has, of course, never been solely Aleida's Papi or property. Alberto Korda's iconic portrait, taken at a funeral service in 1960 – jaw clenched, eyes to the horizon, unkempt locks under a red-star beret – has been reproduced on posters, T-shirts and advertising hoardings ever since. His image, if not his ideals, has entered the lexicons of adolescent rebellion and creative subversion. Last weekend, I spotted a teenager swinging a Che bag down Oxford Street and asked him why he'd bought it. Che was this cool guy who talked about revolution, he said. What revolution meant, he found harder to articulate. "When you see a child carrying his image on a march and the child says to you, 'I want to be like Che and fight until final victory', then you feel elated," Aleida says. "But the most surprising thing is that this event happened in Portugal, not in Cuba." But how does she feel about the use of his image in the El Commandante pub in Holloway, London, and the Che memorabilia crowding every proto-conscious market stall? She frowns. "I saw him used to advertise an optician's in Berlin. A fashion designer showed his underwear designs in New York reprinting his face." The thumb and forefinger connect once again. It all depends on the context. "But if a young person wears the T-shirt and starts to understand who this person was, then that's fine." Aleida is similarly ambivalent about Hollywood's recent obsession with her father. Walter Salles's Motorcycle Diaries, which traced Guevara's early, transformative travels throughout Latin America, was a magnificent film, she enthuses, that showed a young person learning about poverty and refusing to turn his back on it. The more recent two-part biopic Che, starring Benicio del Torro, was disappointing. She had expected a more complete presentation of the revolution. The vocabulary of struggle, consciousness and sacrifice that Aleida uses may feel anachronistic to a British audience versed in the minor political narratives of personality conflict and fiddled expenses. But there is another story about Cuba, still to be told. As the west waits eagerly for further dispatches about Castro's failing health, for Aleida, his demise can only usher in a new beginning. "The US propaganda machine has dedicated itself to telling everybody that the revolution depends on just one person. But there is an inner conviction among the Cuban people. So, when the time comes when Fidel isn't with us physically any more, they will find a way forward. And if they can't do that, they will disappear. Pablo Milanés said once it is preferable to sink in the sea than to betray the glory that once lived. And for us that rings true." [rc] The Cuba Solidarity Campaign is an NGO that campaigns for an end to the US blockade of Cuba (cuba-solidarity.org.uk). © Guardian News and Media Limited 2009

CUBA: Cuba's health system prioritizes senior citizens

. HAVANA, Cuba / Cuba News Headlines / May 14, 2009 Cuba's health system prioritizes senior citizens, who benefit from excellent treatments provided by highly-qualified medical and paramedical staffs at geriatric centers. The Center for Research on Senior Citizens (CITED) is in charge of designing policies aimed at that sector of Cuba's population. Nearly 17 percent of Cubans are over 60 years of age, accounting for 1.8 million people. By 2025, one-fourth of the island's population will be over that age, so Cuba will be among the world's top ten countries with the highest aging rate. In that regard, the CITED is improving medical services and developing geriatric surgery, among other actions. (DTCuba) Copyright 2006-2007 CUBA HEADLINES

CUBA: Cuba boosts retirement age as many go gray

. BALTIMORE, Maryland / The Baltimore Sun / Associated Press / April 5, 2009 HAVANA - Like much of Cuba's work force, Alfredo Congas is going gray. The chain-smoking 61-year-old retired last March after 42 years as a hotel doorman and rum company driver. Now he's working 12-hour shifts as a security guard to supplement his pension. Congas' new job brings his total income - pension plus paycheck - to the equivalent of $23.45 a month, about $4 more than the average state wage. Poverty forces most of Cuba's 2.2 million retirees to get jobs to supplement their pensions. Many scrape by, selling peanuts and newspapers or guarding cars for tourist change. Now, even that is harder to do. Faced with an aging population and a life expectancy of 77.3 years, nearly the same as in the United States, Cuba has raised the retirement threshold by five years, to 60 for women and 65 for men, delaying the second jobs many have counted on to make ends meet. About 90 percent of Cubans have government jobs, and both sexes must now work at least 30 years, not 25, to get a full pension. The overhaul, to be fully phased in by 2015, means that Cuba's retirement age will exceed Latin America's average of 59 for women and 62 for men, according to Carmelo Mesa-Lago, an expert on the Cuban economy at the University of Pittsburgh. The island's population is aging faster than that of the rest of the region - 17 percent will be 60 or older by 2010, compared with 9 percent across Latin America today, according to the United Nations. A quarter of Cubans will be older than 60 by 2025. As Cuba's work force shrinks, the ratio of workers to retirees has narrowed from 7-to-1 in 1970 to 3-to-1 today. Had the country not raised its retirement age, the ratio would have been 2-to-1 by 2025, the government said. State pensions, though small, were once enough to live on in this communist country, where housing and health care are free and the government subsidizes food, utilities and transportation. But the collapse of the Soviet Union cost Cuba much income in subsidies and trade, crippling the economy and sparking widespread shortages. A U.S. dollar-fueled black market mushroomed; prices soared and Cuba's peso plunged in value. The minimum monthly pension was worth about $92 in 1989. Adjusted for inflation, it is now the equivalent of $9.50. Many countries are making tough decisions to keep funding social security programs as populations grow older. The U.S. retirement age is to increase to 67 by 2027. A handful of former Iron Curtain countries have privatized their pension systems, as well as raising retirement ages and slashing benefits to stretch resources. But privatization isn't an option in Cuba, where most forms of free-market enterprise are illegal. Instead, a 1994 tax law requires state firms to contribute 14 percent of each worker's salary to a national social security pot. It also obligates employees in profitable sectors such as tourism to contribute an added 5percent. Still, contributions cover less than 60percent of current pension costs, with the rest financed by the federal budget. Mesa-Lago estimated that the sum approached 6.3percent of Cuba's gross domestic product in 2006. The funding crunch has grown more urgent since last year's hurricanes caused more than $10billion damage, leaving nearly 1million homeless, crippling farming and forcing costly food imports. The government says 3million people attended town hall meetings to discuss the potential retirement age increase, with 99.1percent supporting it. Workers who attended say that many complained, but didn't dare oppose the measure in a public show of hands. "I'm not prepared for this," said Grace, 52, a high school chemistry teacher who supports her 23-year-old son and 86-year-old mother on a monthly wage of about $25. She asked to be identified by middle name only to avoid problems. Now, she'll have to defer retirement and plans to tutor for two more years. Much of what the Cuban government saves by delaying retirement, it will dole out in bigger pensions. Payments are rising to 60percent of an employee's peak five years of earnings, from 50percent. For some, the decision to keep older citizens working rather than cracking down on younger, job-ditching countrymen is shaking their faith in the communist revolution. A 34-year-old nurse, who declined to be named for fear her comments would hurt her husband's army career, said the retirement changes leaves her even "more disillusioned." "I'm young," she said, her eyes welling with tears. "But I'm less optimistic than before." Copyright © 2009, The Baltimore Sun

CUBA: Retirement age boosted as population goes gray

. HAVANA, Cuba / Associated Press / March 28, 2009 By Will Weissert Like much of Cuba's work force, Alfredo Congas is going gray. The chain-smoking 61-year-old retired last March after 42 years as a hotel doorman and rum-company driver. Now he's back working 12-hour shifts as a security guard to supplement his minuscule pension. "I'm here without a cent in my pocket," said Congas, whose new job brings his total income — pension plus paycheck — to the equivalent of $23.45 a month, about $4 more than the average state wage. Sweeping poverty forces most of Cuba's 2.2 million retirees to get new jobs that enable them to keep a steady income and supplement their pensions. Many barely scrape by, wandering the streets selling peanuts and newspapers or guarding parked cars at hotels for tourists' change. Now even that is harder to do. Faced with an aging population and a life expectancy of 77.3 years, nearly the same as the U.S., Cuba's government has raised the retirement threshold by five years, to 60 for women and 65 for men, delaying the second jobs many have counted on to make ends meet in their old age. Josefina Petrona, 87, a member of a circle of elderly adults, exercises in Old Havana. Government has raised the retirement age for women to 60 and for men to 65. About 90 percent of Cubans have government jobs, and now both sexes must work at least 30 years, not 25, to get a full pension. "Retirement in Cuba was already no picnic. Now it's more complicated," said Oscar Espinosa Chepe, a state-trained economist turned political dissident. The overhaul, to be fully phased in by 2015, means Cuba's retirement age will exceed Latin America's average of 59 for women and 62 for men, according to Carmelo Mesa-Lago, an expert on the Cuban economy at the University of Pittsburgh. The island's population is aging faster than the rest of the region — some 17 percent will be 60 or older by 2010, compared with 9 percent across Latin America today, according to U.N. data. A quarter of Cubans will top 60 by 2025, a point the rest of the region won't reach until 2050. As Cuba's work force shrinks, the ratio of workers to retirees has narrowed from seven-to-one in 1970 to three-to-one today. Had the country not raised its retirement age, the ratio would have been two-to-one by 2025, the government said. "More needs to be done, but what else can you do? You can't turn the screw even more," Mesa-Lago said. State pensions, though small, were once enough to live on in this communist country, where housing and health care are free and the government subsidizes food, utilities and transportation. But the Soviet Union's collapse cost Cuba huge amounts of income in subsidies and trade, crippling the economy and sparking widespread shortages that still persist. A U.S.-dollar-fueled black market mushroomed; prices soared and Cuba's peso plunged from 1 to the dollar to 22 to the dollar today. The minimum monthly pension was worth about $92 in 1989. Adjusted for inflation, it is now the equivalent of $9.50. "I'm going to keep working, keep fighting," said Antonio Valdes, a 63-year-old graphic designer who earns $19.30 a month. "The elderly who don't know how to do that are screwed." Many countries are making tough decisions to keep funding social security programs as populations skew older. The U.S. retirement age is slated to increase to 67 by 2027. A handful of former Iron Curtain countries have privatized their once-troubled pension systems, as well as raising retirement ages and slashing benefits to stretch resources. Several Latin American nations have followed a private-account model pioneered by Chile in 1981. But privatization isn't an option in Cuba's command economy, where there are no 401Ks or pooled pension funds invested to draw earnings, and most forms of free-market enterprise are illegal. Instead, a 1994 tax law requires Cuban state firms to contribute 14 percent of each worker's salary to a national social security pot. It also obligates employees in profitable sectors such as tourism to contribute an additional 5 percent. Still, contributions cover less than 60 percent of current pension costs, with the rest financed by unspecified areas of the federal budget, Mesa-Lago said. While the government doesn't say how much it spends, in 2006 he estimated the sum approached 6.3 percent of gross domestic product. The funding crunch has grown more urgent since last year's hurricanes caused more than $10 billion in damage, leaving nearly 1 million homeless, crippling farming and forcing costly food imports. Cuba's budget deficit ballooned to $4.2 billion. The government says 3 million people attended town-hall meetings to discuss the potential retirement age increase last year, with 99.1 percent supporting it. Workers who attended say many complained, but didn't dare oppose the measure in a public show of hands. "I'm not prepared for this," said Grace, 52, a high school chemistry teacher who supports her 23-year-old son and 86-year-old mother on a monthly wage worth about $25. She asked to be identified by her middle name only, to avoid problems at work. Now, she'll have to defer retirement and plans to tutor for extra income for two more years. Much of what the government saves by delaying retirement, it will dole out in bigger pensions. Payments are rising to 60 percent of an employee's peak five years of earnings, from 50 percent. Workers also earn an additional 2 percent for each year on the job after 25 years. But for some Cubans, the decision to keep older citizens working rather than cracking down on younger, job-ditching countrymen is shaking their faith in the communist revolution. While Cuba guarantees "full employment" and reports an official jobless rate of 1.6 percent, low salaries mean that many young people no longer seek formal jobs, even though neighborhood-watch committees are supposed to discourage unemployment. Instead, they live with their parents and work on the black market, failing to pay into the pension system at all. A 34-year-old nurse, who declined to be named for fear her comments would hurt her husband's army career, said the retirement reform leaves her even "more disillusioned." "I'm young," she said, her eyes welling with tears. "But I'm less optimistic than before." Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press