FAMILIAR STRUCTURE AND SIZE OF SENIOR LIVING IN PERIPHERIC AREAS IN A METROPOLIS

Abstract

The family is the home to the senior, being affective, as support to the care, and finances, when his income is not enough to his self-living. But the family is reduced in its size and its values suffer strong transformations. The aim of this study was to know familiar structures an size of seniors living in areas of low income. This is a descriptive study, whose subjects were selected from the subscription of health agents. The sample’s selection was stratified, nearing from the profile of the population of area in the variables gender and age, totalizing 100 seniors. Data collection took place during the period of december/2002 to april/2003, in home visit done by trained scientific initiation students. We concluded that the family with the senior is size reduced when this one, needs it, the most, or better, in advanced age. The men get to keep a familiar structure for a longer time; the familiar income is low; the number of unemployed members is high, and the age of the ones that live with the senior is elevated also where we conclude that the reality studied is not favorable to the senior.