Marisa Accioly Domingues

Rede de suporte social do idoso atendido por equipes de Saúde da Família

The aging process has specific aspects marked by the class of individuals and social groups as well as cultural, political, socio-economic and sanitary conditions of the collective groups. Social support systems are essential for meeting the specific needs of the elderly. The aim of this paper is to describe the socio-demographic profile and the social support networks of elderly patients served by the Family Health Strategy. Its a cross-sectional study with elderly patients living in Dourados, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul (Brazil). Data were collected using a socio-demographic questionnaire and a Minimum Relationships Map for the Elderly (MMRI). Of the 503 elderly patients interviewed, 69% were female, 53.1% were illiterate, 58.3% earned less than one minimum salary and 82.9% lived with others. The MMRI showed that the family was the most important provider of care in all the dimensions assessed, but the elderly have their own small social networks. Elderly patients attended by the Family Health teams have low incomes and little formal education, and social support networks that are too small to meet their needs.

Motivational Factors and Predictors for Attending a Continuing Education Program for Older Adults

The objectives were to describe the stated motives of participants who enrolled in a program at the Open University for the Elderly (UnATI, in Portuguese), identify correlations between the stated motives and sociodemographic data, and find a set of predictors related to the listed motives. A total of 306 middle-aged and elderly adults aged 50 or older were surveyed through a sociodemographic questionnaire and a five-item scale to check their motives to enroll in the program. The following motivational factors were identified, in order of importance: enhancing general knowledge, investing in personal development, increasing social interaction, learning more in order to help others, and employing ones free time profitably. Age and years of schooling combined were strong predictors of participants seeking new knowledge. Being single and not retired was correlated with the motive Investing in Personal Development. Having attended elementary school only and being married was closely correlated to the motive Increasing Social Interaction. Employing Ones Free Time Profitably was associated with single or widowed individuals with family income between 3.1 and 4.0 times the minimum wage. As for Learning More in Order to Help Others, no predictors were found for this motive. It was found that participants seek to satisfy a desire to learn/ know more, to be up-to-date, to exercise their rights as citizens, and to play an active role in society. Our data suggest that these are the assumptions that drive middle-aged and elderly adults to look for various types of educational programs.

Beliefs, perceptions, and concepts of old age among participants of a University of the Third Age.

The objective of the study was to identify correlations between beliefs, perceptions, and concepts about old age and personal experience of aging among older persons attending a public university for the third age. Participants were 256 older adults with a mean age of 67 ± 5.54 years, 69% female. The study protocol included sociodemographic data, the Beliefs Toward aging scale, and tailored questions to assess perceptions of old age and personal aging and concepts regarding a good old age. There was a trend toward positive and neutral beliefs; the assigned age for the beginning of old age was 68 years; participants did not identify with being old; notions of a good old age were associated with physical health, good personal relationships, expectations for the future, and satisfaction with life. The multivariate analysis indicated two significantly distinct groups in terms of age, beliefs, and concepts of good old age. On an individual level, the study participants failed to acknowledge their own aging.

Redes de relações sociais dos idosos residentes em Ermelino Matarazzo, São Paulo: um estudo epidemiológico

OBJETIVOS: Descrever o perfil sociodemografico e a rede social dos idosos residentes na comunidade de Ermelino Matarazzo, por meio de inquerito epidemiologico. METODO: Participaram deste estudo de corte transversal de base domiciliar 382 idosos residentes em Ermelino Matarazzo, com idade igual ou superior a 60 anos. A amostragem foi probabilistica, por conglomerados, em dois estagios. Foi realizado sorteio de 35 setores censitarios do distrito de Ermelino Matarazzo, na zona leste do municipio de Sao Paulo, e, em 2007, realizou-se o recrutamento dos idosos residentes nos domicilios desses setores. Aplicaram-se o questionario sociodemografico e um instrumento grafico, o Mapa Minimo de Relacoes do Idoso (MMRI). RESULTADOS E DISCUSSAO: A analise descritiva dos dados sugere que a populacao caracterizou-se por idosos de baixa renda e escolaridade, maioria casada ou viuva, aposentada e pensionista. Quanto a rede social, os familiares sao o principal suporte dos pesquisados. Quanto ao tamanho da rede, a maioria dos participantes apresentou uma pequena rede social. Quanto ao estado civil, verificou-se que idosos viuvos possuiam uma rede social maior do que a de individuos solteiros. As variaveis de idade e renda familiar correlacionaram-se positivamente com o tamanho de rede social. CONCLUSOES: O presente estudo aponta achados que entram em concordância com a literatura, quanto aos membros mais presentes da rede social dos idosos, familiares; ao genero, feminino; quanto ao tamanho de rede, pequena. Ressalta-se que o estudo traz dados representativos da populacao idosa brasileira por se tratar de estudo com metodologia epidemiologica.

Social Support Network for the Elderly Attending the Open University Program for Senior Citizens at the School of Arts, Sciences and Humanities, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

This study describes the social support network of older adults enrolled in the Open University for Senior Citizens at the School of Arts, Sciences and Humanities, University of São Paulo. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 117 elderly or older adults, mostly female (78%), married (53%), retired (82%), and aged on average 65.32. Data collection tools included a questionnaire and a socio-demographic chart of the instrument called Map of Minimum Relationships of the Elderly. These data were entered into the Epidata version 3.1 and the SPSS 17.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Most participants had medium-sized support networks, characterized by 16.80 people who could assist them throughout the year with some of the listed activities (visits, keeping company, helping with household chores, personal care assistance, and financial aid). When the sample was stratified by age, it was found that older subjects had a smaller social network. Individuals in stable relationships had a greater social support network than did single individuals. The variables age and income were correlated with the size of the social support network. According to these correlations, the greater their age, the fewer the social interactions they enjoyed. Alternatively, the higher the family income of respondents, the greater the number of members in their social support network. The results suggest that social support networks shrink along the process of aging, although some variables such as income and marital status act as modulating factors, thus contributing to its continuation or to its steeper decline.