Representações sociais dos idosos acerca dos maus-tratos

Abstract

Aging and longevity of the population are to unleash new social problems, of which the mistreatment against the elderly people is an example. Guided by the concern to broaden the knowledge of this theme, I developed this research aiming to understand the social representation of the elderly about mistreatment against their pears in the family context. The research has a qualitative nature. The data were collected by semi-structured interview with older swatch. The main research results suggest that is clear and unambiguous the knowledge of interviewers about the phenomenon of mistreatment against the elderly person, and not only know the typology but also identify new forms of violence. As the main causes of mistreatment, it was pointed out the absence of gerontocractic solidarity values and individualism of the families. As a preventive and corrective measure, they admit the importance of the denounce, know how to do it and make it primarily motivated by personal values, moral respect, and by Christian faith. However they show some resistance in doing it. Are unanimous in considering that the Family and Social Security are responsible to ensure the protection of the rights of the elderly. Aware of the role they occupy in society, they have strength and willpower to live new experiences and to address the aging process with optimism.

Date of Award	17 Nov 2011
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Ivo Domingues (Supervisor)