AUTHONOMY AND RIGHT TO INFORMATION: CONTRIBUTIONS FOR THE ELDER INMATE CARE MANAGEMENT

Abstract

An exploratory descriptive study which aimed at verifying if the nursing professionals pay the respect to the right to information and the authonomy exercise of elderly inmates, predicted by the Law. Twenty-four elderly people, from a city of Parana state, in Brazil, took part in the study. They answered to a questionnaire, at their domicile, after their discharge from hospital. Among the results we had: 17 (70,8%) elderly did not know their rights; 10 (41,7%) did not receive information about the institution rules and routines; 12 (50%) did not get their doubts, related to the disease and their health situation evolution, cleared; 13 (54,3%) were not informed about the received care; 17 (70,8%), said they would like to take part on the decisions about their treatment, but for 21 (87,5%) informed that such participation was not allowed by the nursing team. In relation to the care after the discharge from hospital, 10 (41,7%) did not receive any information about it, 10 (41,7%) received such information from the physician team and only 2 (8,3%) received it from the nursing team. In conclusion, at the institutions where this study's participants were interned, the nursing staff needs to act according to what the elderly Law lays down, on the sense of providing suitable and sufficient information, as well as promoting this group autonomy.