Strengths and challenges of professionals in family health in assistance to the elderly

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21727/rpu.v16i1.4882

Abstract

Background: Population aging is a worldwide phenomenon. In the set of the most populous countries in the world, Brazil has one of the fastest aging processes in the population. Objective: to analyze the aspects that facilitate and make difficult the care to the elderly under the perception of the professionals of the Family Health Strategy. Method: This is an study with a qualitative approach carried out in Basic Health Units in São Luís do Maranhão, and interviewed 33 professionals, from the nurse, physician, nursing technician and health agents categories of the Family Health Strategy on care with the elderly. For analysis, content analysis was used according to Bardin, in this way three categories were revealed: Aspects to facilitate care, Barriers to care for the elderly and The family as an agent of (un) care. Results: As main facilitators, we found the popular pharmacy program and multiprofessional work. Lack of institutional support was pointed out as a barrier to care and the family was discussed as an ambiguous factor in the production of care. Conclusion: The speeches revealed aspects that facilitate and/or hinder health care for the elderly, with home visits being considered an important technology for the care provided by professionals.

Key words: Health of the Elderly; Family Health; Health Personnel.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Luciana Batalha Sena, Universidade Federal do Maranhão (UFMA)

Enfermeira. Doutora em Saúde Coletiva. Mestre em Enfermagem. Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís, Maranhão, Brasil.

Ana Hélia de Lima Sardinha, Universidade Federal do Maranhão (UFMA)

Enfermeira. Docente Titular do Curso de Enfermagem na Universidade Federal do Maranhão. Docente permanente do programa de Enfermagem/Saúde da Família; Saúde e Ambiente. São Luís, Maranhão, Brasil. 

Leonel Lucas Smith de Mesquita, Universidade Federal do Maranhão (UFMA)

Enfermeiro. Doutor em Saúde Coletiva pela Universidade Federal do Maranhão-UFMA. Professor Adjunto do Departamento de Enfermagem - UFMA/CCBS. Universidade Estadual do Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brasil. 

Joelson dos Santos Almeida, Universidade Estadual do Ceará (UECE)

Enfermeiro. Doutorando em Saúde Coletiva pela Universidade Estadual do Ceará. Mestre em Sa´´ude e Ambiente pela Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís, Maranhão, Brasil. 

Downloads

Published

2025-04-30

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 1 (2025): Revista Pró-UniverSUS V 16 N 1

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Luciana Batalha Sena, Ana Hélia de Lima Sardinha, Joelson dos Santos Almeida, Leonel Lucas Smith de Mesquita

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication, with the work simultaneously licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which allows sharing the work with acknowledgement of authorship and initial publication through this journal.

This license lets others distribute, remix, adapt and create upon your work, even commercially, as long as they credit you for the original creation. It is the most flexible license of all available. It is recommended for maximizing the dissemination and use of the licensed materials.

Authors are permitted to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g. by posting it to an institutional repository or as a chapter in a book), with acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

See the full legal text of the license at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/