Estudo multifacetado e rede de suporte social de idosos

Abstract

The progressive aging of the population demands that society be prepared for changes in all organizational sectors. This is because, although many elderly people are autonomous and active, it is necessary to consider the gradual losses and changes inherent in the aging process of the human being. It is worth mentioning that aging occurs differently in varied social contexts. In this regard, it is also necessary to observe the specificities of the aging process of people who have aged both in the rural environment and in the urban environment. The confirmation that the elderly experienced different challenges in the course of their existence will affect their life conditions. Considering that these factors are closely related, this study focuses on a multifaceted assessment of the elderly, bringing together psychosocial and functional data of the elderly. The general objective of this research is: To analyze the multifaceted profile related to the health of elderly residents in a small-sized municipality of Rio Grande do Sul, including the social networks of the elderly. For this purpose, a quantitative and descriptive-analytical study was carried out, with a household survey with the elderly. For the elderly characterization, a questionnaire was used referring to sociodemographic, life and health-related data, as well as questions related to their social participation. The evaluation of the health conditions and the fragility of the participants was carried out using the Functional Clinical Vulnerability Index-20 (FCVI-20), in order to verify the social networks of the elderly, the Lubben Social Briefs Scale (LSBS-6) was used and the cognitive level was evaluated using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). For the data analysis we used descriptive, absolute and percentage statistical analyzes. The associations between categorical variables were studied using parametric tests, such as chi-square and Tukey test and ANOVA. A total of 351 elderly people, with a female prevalence, low educational level and age between 60 and 70 years participated in the study. The majority is married and resident in the rural area, prevailed low education, income of up to a minimum wage with 2 to 3 dependents. In this study, it was verified that there was no difference in support received in relation to the ages of the elderly. However, regarding schooling, it was observed that among those without schooling and those who studied from 1 to 4 years the social support received is significant. For the present study it was grouped together the elderly with low risk of clinical-functional vulnerability (robust) those with scores of 0 to 6 points, with moderate risk of clinical-functional vulnerability (pre-frail) with scores of 7 to 14 and elderly with a high risk of clinical-functional vulnerability (fragile) with 15 points or more. According to the territoriality of the elderly, it is observed that 76.3% of the robust elderly live in rural areas and 20.8% of the pre-frail elderly followed by 9.4% of the frail elderly live in the urban territory. It was also identified that there was a high prevalence of cognitive decline among the elderly studied. The data obtained are a concern, and identifying the predictive factors may help in the construction of strategies to minimize their effects.