Banca de DEFESA: DIEGO HENRIQUE BARBOSA DA SILVA

Elderly person. Autonomy. Meaning-making process. Nursing homes. Psychology of the elderly.

Aging has been discussed worldwide in recent decades due to changes in the life expectancy of people aged 60 and over. In Brazil, some laws have been implemented to promote and guarantee the rights of this population. Nursing home (Long-Stay Institution for the Elderly - ILPI) appears as a viable equipment to guarantee the rights of this population. However, this institution has been questioned as for its origin, structure, and purpose, sometimes controversial, which would impose a control over residents to the point of their losing autonomy, which would go against public policies advocating this primordial factor for an active aging. Therefore, the question is: what is the relationship between the meanings of autonomy of institutionalized elderly people and the host context in which they live? The general objective of the research is to investigate the meanings of autonomy for elderly people residing in an ILPI and to indicate how these meanings relate to the environment in which they live and have an impact on their aging processes. A non-profit private institution in the Agreste Central region of Pernambuco was selected, and eight elderly people participated in the qualitative research, using semi-structured interviews as a collection procedure focusing on their conceptions of autonomy. To reach the objective of the work, we opted for the microgenetic analysis proposed by the theoretical perspective of the Net of Meanings. The results suggest a series of factors linked to the perception by an elderly person on their autonomy within the ILPI. They are: decision to enter the institution; search for possible compensation for loss of autonomy; social credibility as being an autonomous person; development of socio-affective bonds among the members of the ILPI; and values linked to actions and decisions that directly affect the concept of autonomy of these residents. Even with the difficulties encountered in carrying out the research due to the pandemic caused by COVID-19, it was possible to reflect on the implications of these factors in the process of autonomy of these residents. The introductory character of these discussions on the subject and the need for a greater depth into this investigation in other institutions with different contexts and social reasons are herein recognized.