A relação entre filhos adultos e pais idosos institucionalizados

Abstract

Increased life expectancy generates new social problems and challenges us to approach ageing and growing old in a different light. Family, as a privileged space for communication and interaction loses its strength when compared with the process of institutionalization. Slowly but surely, society is fragmented and other alternative social networks take the place of “old” bonds. Three issues arise from this change: (1) fragility of intergenerational bonds between institutionalized parents and their grown-up offspring; (2) institutional methods in order to keep the family still close to the institutionalized elder; (3) relationship between the institutionalized elder and the primary solidarity network. In order to investigate these questions, we performed a qualitative study using a semi-structured interview. Our sample was composed by a group of institutionalized elders (n=20), currently residing in Santo Tirso, their offspring (n=10) and social workers of the respective nursing home (n=4). Main results show that: (1) Most of the elders interviewed were admitted to the nursing home to care for specific needs and also because they were living alone; (2) The intergenerational relation between the elderly and their offspring is “occasional”; (3) The proximity bonds between grown-up offspring and elder institutionalized parents obeys to the nursing home’s activity plan and regulation.

Date of Award	2015
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Cristina Palmeirão (Supervisor)