Aging by the perspective of elderly caregivers

Abstract

This study reports elderly caregivers' perception in charge of giving assistance to three benefiting institutions in elderly care, in the city of Araçatuba, São Paulo, Brazil. Questions were approached regarding aging, caregivers' personal motivation in the search of working with this sector of population, relationship with elderly, most common difficulties found during work and caregivers' satisfaction. An interview was done with caregivers and the collected verbal material was analyzed through the Collective Subject Discursive Technique. It was possible to realize through the reports the emotional involvement of caregivers with their work as well as the emotional and physical overload which they are exposed to. Reports related to aging could also be collected as well as social questions which motivated caregivers to search for this kind of job. The several eyes of caregivers lead us to search for new strategies of theoretical capability and psychological support for this group, thinking of their wellbeing along with the elderly well-being.