Perspectivas da deficiência física no idoso: vulnerabilidades em saúde

Abstract

This qualitative, descriptive study investigated perceptions among older adults, managers and health professionals as to the outlook for disability in the elderly. Semi-structured interviews were conducted of 18 older adults and questionnaires were applied to 17 managers and three health professionals, between June and December 2010 in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Data analysis through dialectic hermeneutics apprehended the constituent components of three categories: the impact of disability on older adults’ quality of life; social support networks; and naturalization of disability in the aging process. It was concluded that the impact of disability affects older adults’ quality of life, while health professionals and managers consider it a natural part of the aging process. As regards care, there is a fragile support network, the biomedical model predominates, and Family Health Strategy teams’ academic training and instruments are deficient.