THE IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY SUPPORT IN CARING FOR THE ELDERLY IN PRIMARY CARE

Abstract

ABSTRACT

 Aging is a natural process that, with advancing age, brings physiological and cognitive changes that affect motor mobility and slow reflexes. In Brazil, people aged 60 or older are considered elderly, according to the Statute of the Elderly Person, which guarantees their rights (Brazil, 2003). To analyze the importance of family support in the care of elderly people in Primary Care. This is a quantitative, cross-sectional, and descriptive study, conducted with 21 family caregivers of elderly individuals from a Family Health Strategy unit located in a small town in southern Minas Gerais. Data collection was carried out using a structured questionnaire with eight questions that analyzed the caregivers' reality regarding care related to the elderly. The analyzed tables demonstrate the complexity and fragility of informal care. Although most caregivers (66.66%) do not report difficulty, a high percentage of 33.33% express insecurity or difficulty and reveal a lack of technical preparation to handle complex tasks, such as Mobility, Supervision, and Accompanying to Consultations (22.9% each), which are the most frequently performed and demanding. The unsustainability of isolated care is confirmed by the rate of 76.19% of caregivers seeking help, a direct reflection of the overload and dependence on a network that is primarily informal, which, although providing momentary relief, perpetuates the invisibility of the work and the risk of physical and emotional exhaustion. The research shows that care for the elderly in Primary Care is supported by a family network with serious markers of vulnerability. The caregiver profile is predominantly female, of advanced age and low education, characterizing a situation of inter-elderly care and social fragility. The complexity of care is high, requiring exhaustive mobility and supervision tasks, which, added to insecurity and lack of

technical knowledge about dependency and accident management, generates overload and risk. The fact that most seek external support confirms that the model of exclusive family care is unsustainable. The primary conclusion is that family assistance, although indispensable, is insufficient and unqualified. Urgent intervention by Primary Care is necessary to formalize support, offering continuous training and integrating caregivers into a structured network, according to public policy guidelines to protect both the elderly and those who assist them.

Keywords: Caregiver, family, elderly.