María Pinto is a rural commune in central Chile’s Santiago Metropolitan Region, located 38.79 km from Santiago. The geographic distribution and dispersion of the commune has become a serious problem for the inhabitants of Maria Pinto, especially older adults, who support themselves with very small pensions. The main economic activity of the commune is silvo-agriculture. The great majority of older persons in the commune worked in this industry independently, so they did not make contribution payments to a pension fund during their working life and this is currently reflected in low state pensions.

The elderly are a very important concern for the Mayor of María Pinto and several municipal efforts have been made to increase support to older persons in the commune. Some examples of efforts to support the elderly include:

• The municipal office purchased two mini buses that run throughout the commune with no cost to users.
• The commune has programs with the National Service for Elder People (SENAMA), including the “Vinculos” (Links) Program  XI, XII and XIII.
• There is a Day Center for the Elderly, where different workshops are held for 50 users of the commune, provided by a multidisciplinary team that includes a kinesiologist, occupational therapist, social worker and psychologist, and that is committed and qualified to promote the autonomy and independence of older persons. The Center also offers cultural recreational trips and has its own mini bus to transport users.
• The commune has 12 Senior Adult Clubs that independently perform various recreational activities. Additionally, these clubs are the main actors of all the municipal activities: Anniversary Municipality, Passing August, sports activities promoted by the National Sports Institute, National Day Parade, and Preventive Talks, among others. The municipal office helps Senior Clubs with applications for SENAMA Self-Management Projects and Municipal Subsidies Applications.