Rastreio de depressão em idosos residentes em ILPI's públicas e privadas do município de Santa Maria/ RS

Abstract

Currently, the world is experiencing a time where longevity is increasing and the birth rate declining, so the elderly population grows every day. Consequently, the number of institutionalization of the elderly in ILPI's, both public and private, is also quite significant. Some characteristics of these institutions reduce the degree of autonomy, independence and social interaction of elderly residents, and then there is a concern about the possible appearance of depressive symptoms in institutionalized elderly. Considering that, depression is a psychiatric disease with a high prevalence in the elderly, which affects the quality of life and, consequently, the occupational performance of the subjects, this study sought to mapping depression in elderly residents of public and private ILPI's in the city of Santa Maria and sought to describe if there is any relation between institutionalization and the appearance of depressive symptoms. To do so, a study was carried out in two municipal institutions, one public and one private, using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) described by Yesavage et.al (1983), together with a sociodemographic questionnaire and a semi-structured interview with questions concerning the process of institutionalization of the elderly. There was a predominance of female participants (52.9%), incomplete elementary school (70.5%) and widowers (58.8%). In the total sample, 47.1% of the elderly participants presented depressive symptoms, ranging from mild to severe. The study demonstrates, through the data obtained, a predominance of depressive symptoms greater in the private ILPI, but statistically, it was not possible to demonstrate a significant difference, due to the size of the sample.