As relações sociais dos idosos de Bagé, RS. ; Social relationships of elderly in Bage, RS.

The progressive aging of the population that is expected over the next 30 years draws our attention to understanding that the maintenance of the quality of life and autonomy are important factors in this process, minimizing the possibilities of social exclusion of the elderly people and increasing their active participation in society. At this stage of life, losses of important links are unavoidable, and feelings of loneliness and dependence are common, so maintenance and / or expansion of social relations are important. Social relations can be divided, for analysis, according to their structure and their function. This study aims to present a description of the structure of informal social relations of elderly people with chronic diseases hypertension and / or diabetes, using a scale to classify the relations into weak, moderate and strong. The data used for the study are from the database of the research untitled “Saúde do idoso: situação epidemiológica e utilização de serviços de saúde em Bagé, RS”. The research had as target population the elderly over sixty years old, residents in the catch area of the primary health care services of the urban area of Bage, RS. Data collection took place between June and November 2008. The percentage of weak informal relationships among the elderly with hypertension and/or diabetes was 51.0% (CI95% 47.7% - 54.1%), with greater proportions among the elderly with the following characteristics: over 74 years old; less time in formal education; lower economic classification; residents of multigenerational households with larger numbers of people; and residents in the areas covered by Estratégia Saúde da Família. The study results reinforce the need to develop social protection mechanisms for these elderly, in order to integrate them into society and to minimize the risks of social exclusion in old age. Thus, to know the social relations in this population and to identify potential weaknesses may assist in the planning of actions of health care of the elder, endorsing specific ...