Grupos de terceira idade e sociabilidade: um estudo no município de Santa Maria, RS

Abstract

In old age there are problems that arise in the life of the elderly, and that permeate between biological, psychological and social aspects. There is a need to enable problem solving and reconstruction of lives, when we refer to aging, and especially the old age. Within this perspective, the elderly groups are a positive form of programs for the elderly, with the purpose of promoting social interaction, leisure time, skills development and learning opportunities. And they are important tools conducive to the development of sociability, since they are spaces that contemplate the diversity and uniqueness of the elderly. The study aimed to analyze the relationships of sociability among the elderly, starting from the participation in a third age group, in the municipality of Santa Maria. This study was based on researches in the areas of aging and sociability, mainly in the works that investigated the old age and the old age groups, and in the data obtained from structured and semi-structured interviews. Eleven elderly women living in Santa Maria - RS, from the Grisalhas da Primavera and Reviver groups, participated in the study. The interviews were conducted individually and recorded at home. The reports were transcribed and later analyzed according to the Content Analysis method. The elderly groups meet two to three times a week, with the main objective of performing physical exercises, the composition of the groups is almost exclusively composed of women - and having some men in one of the groups and groups perform: teas of fellowship, dances, walks and dinners. The interviewees are close to the headquarters of the elderly, have a low level of schooling, average income of two minimum wages, reside mostly alone, report health as good or great, present several chronic diseases, but these diseases do not cause them difficulties in the physical exercise practices. As for the social network, the majority of the elderly presented a greater amount of social relations of affective proximity with the members of the elderly group that participate. The perception of aging throughout life, as well as the period prior to its entry into the elderly group, show changes, before a negative image of old age (loneliness, isolation, widowhood, health problems and decreased autonomy and independence). And they have a positive image of old age (health, withdrawal from loneliness, increase of social relations, exit from the home environment, pleasure and friendship), when associated with participation in a third age group, from the perspective of sociability. The relationships of sociability, in the old age groups, have their founding element in the practice of physical exercise and extend beyond this with activities of sociocultural animation (domingueiras, walks, confraternizations, among others). They have as meanings space of coexistence, construction and strengthening of the ties of friends, meetings of joy and fun and renewal of living and aging.