Occupational Roles and Social Support Network for Elderly Women in Permanent Institutionalization and Residents in the Community

Abstract

This study aimed to examine roles played by elderly women in a Long-Stay Institution (LSI) and elderly women residents in the community, checking out the social support network and the importance of maintaining and creating these roles. It was used descriptive quantitative methodology, applying the Identification of Occupational Roles list and the Diagram of Escort, for six elderly women, three living in LSI and three residents in the community. There was a predominance of formal support for the LSI, in which elderly women receive more support than what they provide, different from that found for elderly in community, where the total has informal support, as they provide more care than they receive, so play more complex roles. Related to the distribution of roles over time, in continuous roles in predominated hobby/ amateur and friend, whereas in the community, caregiver and religious. It was noted the diminishing of the role of family members in both groups. Performance in future roles, congruence was observed in the choice of roles: friend, student, employee, volunteer, housework, family, religious, and hobby/amateur. This research suggests actions for health promotion, disease prevention and rehabilitation of elderly people in their biopsychosocial aspects in the context of occupational roles that can be reassumed or maintained.