Representaciones sociales del cuidado del anciano en trabajadores de salud en un ancianato.

Abstract

This study aimed at identifying the social representations of the care given to the elderly by caregivers in a nursing home. Fifteen caregivers aged 28 to 32 years old who worked in a nursing home in the city of Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil were subjects for this work and the Theory of Social Representations was used as reference. Data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews and analyzed by content analysis, which enabled the elaboration of categories, thus facilitating comprehension. Among such categories are: informal education, formal education, satisfaction, sadness, modes of confrontation and denegation.