Educação superior no brasil e a formação dos profissionais de saúde com ênfase no envelhecimento

Abstract

In this article we discuss professional health education with focus on aging, based on the higher education public policy in Brazil. We used the case study of Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF). The central issue was considered the aging of the country's population, which strengthens the need to educate health professionals so that they are able to assist this specific group with quality. Based on the bibliographic survey of the area, we indicate that changes in the health professional's characteristics happen as a consequence of transformations in the social-political context, mainly the expansion of capitalism and the globalization process, which produce changes in the higher education public policies. We conclude that educating health professionals who are suitable to the social demands has been a challenging task; however, in the case of UFF, we have found an education directed to the care of the aged population, with curricula changes aiming to make the best of such characteristic.