Elders carriers of non transmissible chronic diseases group: life quality evaluation

• Main Author: Maria Elisa Gonzalez Manso
• Format: Article
• Language: Portuguese
• Published: Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia 2013-01-01
• Series: Revista Saúde.com
• Subjects: elders; life quality; health promotion; health insurance
• Online Access: http://www.uesb.br/revista/rsc/v9/v9n3a01.pdf

The Brazilian Supplemental Health System, due to its compulsory legislation, aiming for an improved innovative health service, as well as cost cutting, has been implementing programs of health promotion, disease and risk prevention. These programs were based on demographic and epidemiological data that show that non transmissible chronic diseases (NTCD) are thoroughly related to elderly mortality and morbidity and the increasing use of health services by this specific group. This research is presented aiming to learn the interpretation the elders attribute to the life quality concept, to verify if these elders acknowledge the NTCD they suffer from to affect their life quality and how they see the program’s contribution to the last. The methodology, quality methods, was based on semi-structured interviews. Thirteen elders were interviewed. These elders are associated with a health improvement program created in 2009 by a health insurance company and located in the city of Sao Paulo. The group sees their life quality as good or very good, associates life quality mainly with well-being and social integration highlighting that the chronic diseases affect it by restricting their activities, these restrictions, however, can be overcome. The program participation is evaluated as providing well being, social integration opportunity and learning.