Family Environment of the Elderly in the Centros Vida in the City of Villavicencio, Colombia ; Entorno familiar del adulto mayor de los centros vida de la ciudad de Villavicencio, Colombia ; Contexto familiar do idoso nos Centros Vida da cidade de Villavicencio, Colômbia

Introduction: The aging of people is currently awakening interest due to the increase in the life expectancy. Objective: To know the family environment of the elderly in the Centros Vida [Life Centers] in the city of Villavicencio and use the results to build guiding elements intended to educate professional caregivers, thus improving the elderly’s quality of life. Method: This work used a qualitative perspective with an ethnographic approach. Three CVs were selected randomly. From each CV a caregiver, an elderly person and his/her family participated in the study. Non-invasive observations and open interviews were used in the study. Nine interviews were completed, then typed and converted in textual units by using the software N-vivo 11. The analysis was carried out simultaneously with the field work. The data were then subject to coding and categorization. Results: Three categories were identified: (1) either accepting or resigning oneself to be an elderly person; (2) the needs of the old age, and (3) the family relationships when there is an elderly person in it. Conclusion: For the elderly, aging is a stage of life coming with losses, neglect, and suffering. This is a very difficult stage when the family does not have enough socio-economic resources; the family needs to accept and support the changes undergone by the elderly. To the caregivers working in the CVs, this is a stage of life requiring a lot of support by the family and the society. ; Introducción: En la actualidad, el envejecimiento de la población despierta interés, debido al aumento de la esperanza de vida. Objetivo: Conocer el entorno familiar de los adultos mayores de los Centros Vida (CV) del municipio de Villavicencio, con el propósito de construir, a partir de los resultados, elementos orientadores para la formación de cuidadores profesionales y el mejoramiento de la calidad de vida del adulto mayor. Método: Perspectiva cualitativa con enfoque etnográfico. Se incluyeron tres CV seleccionados al azar; de cada CV participó un cuidador y un ...