WHOLE HEALTH CARE FOR THE ELDERLY PEOPLE
WHOLE HEALTH CARE FOR THE ELDERLY PEOPLE
Abdala, Gina. A.
Lima, Edenise.P.
Introduction: For years, medicine and religion evolved separately. Only with the holistic health movement is that the individual became once again be seen as a whole body, mind and spirit.
Aims: To examine how the religion/spirituality helped in the rehabilitation of the elderly person in the Adventist Clinical School in Bahia, Brazil.
Methods: This is a sectional study, where 38 elderly people were examined about their beliefs, spiritual experiences and health. The questionnaire used was asking about the influence of spiritual activities on their life, on coping and on the motivation, adherence and confidence to the treatment that they used to have in the Clinic. This research was submitted to the Ethical Research Committee.
Results: The study found that 73% of the clients were Catholic, 12% from Seventh Day Adventist (even though the Clinic is Adventist), 12% from other denominations and 3% without religion. 94% of them believe that the spirituality has a strong influence over the life and God helps them coping in difficult times (100%). Another important result is that if you participate in daily religion practice you will have motivation, adherence and confidence on the therapists. Only 32% of the therapist could pray with them, but, 94% of the clients would like them praying with them when they are been assisted by this Clinic. The 97% of the elderly people assisted by that Clinic agreed that the spirituality has an influence on the longevity through the lifespan.
Conclusion: The attention to the physical, psycological, social and spiritual needs has an important place on this special group of age; the elderly. It is considered a priority, as well as to the Profissional Medicare as to the pacients who are coping with a distressful cronic disease or are in the final jorney of life. This is the moment for the Public Health System in Brazil, and a lot of Private Assistant Groups to seek for a better health care, reorganizing their attention´s practice with the elderly people as a whole person. The quality of life depends on the spiritual view as it is with biomedic point of view.
Key words: whole assistance, elderly people, rehabilitation, spirituality.
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