Envelhecimento bem-sucedido: aspectos motores e psicológicos de idosos da cidade de Juiz de Fora, MG

Abstract

Ageing is a complex process involving the physical, psychological and sociocultural dimensions of the individual. A deeper understanding of this period of life lets one change the view of decrepitude associated with this ageing process and thicken the principles to ensure a healthy ageing. There are new studies focusing on the positive view of ageing coming every single day, transmuting the stereotypical view of old age. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the motor aspects, manual dexterity, body mobility, as well as psychological aspects, life satisfaction and the perception of ageing in the elderly who attend the Centro de Convivência Dona Itália Franco the Polo de Enriquecimento Cultural para a Terceira Idade. As regards methodology, a cross-sectional, descriptive, quantitative and qualitative study has been chosen. The selection of subjects was made through a simple random sampling taken based on the initial registration of the elderly who attend the aforementioned places. In order to achieve the objectives outlined, seven (7) tools were applied: sociodemographic questionnaire, the Mini Mental State Examination to assess the cognitive ability, the Barthel index to assess independence in daily activities, the Nine Hole Peg Test to assess the fine manual dexterity, the Timed up and go test to assess body mobility, the Life Satisfaction Index for Senior Citizens, a questionnaire which assesses satisfaction with life and, lastly, the Ageing Perception Questionnaire, to evaluate how the elderly perceive this period of life. For data analysis, the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software, version 20.0, was used with a significance level of 0.05 for all tests. It was found through this study that places like the Centro de Convivência and Polo de Enriquecimento Cultural of Juiz de Fora, MG, are good places for the promotion of successful ageing. Due to the findings in this dissertation, the elderly who attend such establishments showed a maintenance of the functional capacity in older ages, are satisfied with life regardless of age, social class, education and marital status, and perceive the ageing process in a positive way.