Representações sociais de velhice e práticas de qualidade de vida entre idosos e profissionais de CCTIs de Vitória/ES

Abstract

All over the world, societies have been passing through a process of population aging resulting in a series of social changes, including the need to develop ways to ensure quality of life for the aging population. Besides that, the current Covid-19 pandemic brought a lot of psychosocial impacts in the elderly. Applying the Theory of Social Representations as a theoretical-methodological apparatus, the aim of this present research is investigate, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the social representations of old age and the quality of life practices in Community Centers for the Elderly in Vitória/ES, among elderly people and professionals of this area of service. Therefore, two complementary studies were performed: (i) Study 1, which it was consisted of a documentary research developed through the analysis of 340 videos produced by CCTI professionals in Vitória/ES, for the elderly, and posted on the social network of service; and (ii) Study 2, conducted through interviews with 12 elderly women attending one of the CCTIs in Vitória/ES. The data analysis and data collection were based on the Grounded Theory, and it enabled the creation of interpretive theories about the social representations of old age and the quality of life practices shared among elderly women and also among CCTI professionals. The main results showed that: in Study 1, the elderly women represent the old age (i) related to physical and cognitive losses, unwanted by them, and (ii) anchored in social values (such as productivity and youth) and quality of life practices, with which they identify; and, in Study 2, old age is used as a reference for professionals, associated with (i) the idea of denying contemporary social values of productivity and valuing youth, (ii) and related to quality of life practices, productivity, positivity and healthy aging. Integrating the developed studies, we discuss how professionals and elderly women anchor elements of the current temporality and share information in the CCTI space to update the representations of old age, associating them with quality of life practices, as well as producing meanings about these “new forms” of old age. The importance of public policies to guarantee rights and promote quality of life for elderly people is highlighted, and it is hoped that this research can contribute to the expansion of discussions on the issues in question. In view of the need to reformulate the image of the elderly in the society, it is also argued that old age should be understood as a stage that requires dignity and quality of life in different spheres of the elderly's life contexts.