VIOLENCE AGAINST THE ELDERLY: AN OLD STIGMA

Abstract

This descriptive study with a qualitative approach aimed to investigate the situations of violence against elderly residents of an area served by a Basic Health Unit of the Family Health Strategy in the North-East region of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The data were collected in the first semester of 2010 through interviews, using the Evaluation of Violence and ill-treatment against the Elderly tool. The quantitative results indicated the occurrence of violence of a verbal nature, and content analysis provided two categories of evidence: Autonomy/independence and ill-treatment and Limitations and Ill-treatment. It was observed that ill-treatment is related to the lack of autonomy and independence due to limited physical and cognitive abilities in daily routines, leading to the need for a carer. Nursing must help society to understand the process of aging, to identify possible situations of violence, and contribute to its prevention.

Keywords

• Violence
• Elderly
• Personal autonomy
• Nursing