ILPI: Lugar para Jovens Idosos?

Abstract

The object of study of this research is the process of institutionalization of young elderly people, characterized, in this work, by the age range between 60 and 65 years of age and who do not meet the requirements of Social Assistance and Social Security Policies to guarantee rights. We problematize the institutionalization of people of this age group without having other non-asylum assistance modalities, an expression of the dilemmas of public policies to protect elderly people. Qualitative in nature and guided by the critical dialectical method, the methodological procedures adopted include documentary study, bibliographic review and semi-structured interviews. The research was carried out in a Casa Lar of the Municipal Department of Social Assistance of the City of Itagui/RJ, during the first half of 2024. Based on this research, we reflect on life perspectives, perceptions regarding institutional care and the implications for the coexistence between young elderly people and other elderly residents who require long-term care. In this way, we conclude that the elderly person institutionalized in the public ILPI researched, recently entering this age group, is the one who makes up the working class, with a history of precarious living and premature loss of working capacity. This expresses how heterogeneous the aging process is, with dramatic expression for fractions of the working class that do not have their basic rights guaranteed, such as: food, income, housing and work, resulting in institutionalization and, consequently, the progressive loss of ties and social networks.