A presença religiosa nas instituições asilares de Juiz de Fora - MG: pluralismo religioso e mercantilização da velhice

Abstract

The transformations arising from modernity have caused an intense change in various spheres of social life, bringing with them the need to understand new realities. Among these changes, two phenomena stand out: the first is the demographic transition and with it the increase in the population of elderly people. At this juncture, old age gains visibility and, consequently, the old nursing homes, today called ILPIs – Long-stay Institutions for the Elderly. In the past, these institutions had a clearly defined religious character. With the advancement of science, technology and life expectancy, there was a need to rethink care for the elderly population, especially in the nursing home institutional field. The advance of capitalism and the emergence of new forms of care for the elderly gave this centuries-old institution a new look. A variety of technicians, specialists and health services transformed the old asylum into a new place (house, home, inn, day hospital, hotel, boarding house, clinics) more in keeping with modernity. ILPIs, in addition to being seen as care spaces, have also become spaces for health promotion, and, therefore, hybrids. Faced with the increase in the elderly population, mediated by the number of elderly people looking for institutions in the nursing home modality, the ILPIs open their doors, also allowing and/or sponsoring the religious experience within them. By adopting new forms of care, they seek to overcome the then and still prevalent stigma of nursing homes and, as a strategy, provide a wide range of services and health professionals: doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, nutritionists, dentists, geriatricians, gerontologists, psychologists, among others. Religious practice is also one of these activities offered by the institution and, as a result, it is expected that there will be a presence of religious aspects in the asylum space. We believe that this new panorama reflects the pluralist phenomenon, a situation marked by the coexistence of people of different ethnicities, worldviews and moralities, coexisting in a friendly and peaceful way in the same society, and greater visibility of a variety of old and new religious expressions. Another possibility of understanding is that this religious offer is a strategy in the face of the growing market of LTCFs in progress, configuring a true commodification of old age. The religious dimension also came to be considered as a health dimension and, therefore, can be used as another of the services offered by ILPIs. Therefore, it is important to understand what relationships they establish. This thesis is an interpretation of the circumstances in which these phenomena occur.