Elderly

In Brazil, there are two mechanisms for protecting the elderly, the “Estatuto do Idoso” (Statute of the Elderly) and the “Política Nacional de Saúde do Idoso” (National Health Policy for the Elderly). The elderly must not suffer discrimination of any kind and they must be supported by their children in their old age. The elderly have the right to:

  • Receive comprehensive health care through the public health network
  • Receive treatment and be provided with prostheses, wheel chairs, glasses, hearing aids etc
  • Receive priority treatment in public and private facilities

To report any form of violence against the elderly, contact the Human Rights Violations Hotline 100.

MOPS – open access portal that gathers and organizes information on the availability of services, public facilities and social programs identified in municipalities, microregions and states in the country.

I am over 60 years old. What kind of assistance can the government, UNHCR and its partners give me?

Established by the 1988 Federal Constitution, the government programme Benefit of Continuous Benefit Payment (BPC) ensures the transfer of one (1) minimum wage per month for an elderly who is 65 (sixty-five) years or older, who proves not to have the means to support himself or herself and/or to be sustained by the family. This programme is individual, not lifelong nor transferable.

To be entitled to the benefit, the applicant must prove that the family’s monthly income per capita is less than one-fourth (¼) of the minimum wage. The law determines that the benefit must go through an evaluation every two (2) years. Persons with disabilities must also go through a social and medical evaluation, which will be held by professionals of the National Institute of Social Security (INSS).

Under the terms of the agreement signed on August 5, 2025, between the Federal Public Defender’s Office (DPU), the Office of the Attorney General (AGU), the National Institute of Social Security (INSS), and the Ministry of Social Development, Family and the Fight Against Hunger (MDS), both the National Migration Registry Card (CRNM) and the Provisional National Migration Registry Document (DPRNM) are recognized as valid documents for applying for the Continuous Cash Benefit (BPC/Loas) by refugees, asylum seekers, and other foreign residents in Brazil. These documents may be submitted in either physical or digital format.

Refugees and migrants who wish to apply for the BPC and/or continue to face difficulties when applying for the BPC should inform UNHCR and/or directly seek legal assistance with the Public Defender’s Office (DPU).