Abstract

BONORA, Ana Paula Machado  and  LEITE, Lúcia Pereira. Changes and perceptions on elderly's lives with acquired disability. Bol. - Acad. Paul. Psicol. [online]. 2022, vol.42, n.102, pp. 49-59. ISSN 1415-711X.

Growing old is a part of life in which the body may experience functional decline, due to aging, which may trigger an acquired disability. With that in mind, it's considered that aging along with acquiring a disability may affect and change multiple aspects of an individual's life. The association between aging and acquired disability makes the process of coping and overcoming far more complex, because it can lead to new limitations in the functional capabilities and maintenance of activities once common and well adapted to the individual. With this starting point set, the goal of this research was to investigate the main changes in the lives of elderly people above the age of 60 with acquired disability. The data were collected along with the patients of a Specialized Center of Physical Rehabilitation in the city of Bauru, Sao Paulo. It is a qualitative research with sampling instruments consisting of an open interview, as well as a sociodemographic questionnaire and another one aiming to obtain information about the disability. The collected data were analyzed through a software specific for qualitative research and through a thematic content analysis. The results indicate negative situations in the process of elderly people acquiring a disability, which were attenuated due to social, psychological and assistance support. It was found that the disability was understood through a biological bias by the participants, with no regard to its social influence.

Keywords : aging; person with disability; Psychology.

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