Elderly people living alone
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33233/fb.v20i3.2742Abstract
Introduction: In the last decades, a social phenomenon has emerged: the number of elderly people residing in single-person households, that is, living alone. Among these individuals are those who accumulate losses in health, social and personal life during their lifespan. Objective: To integrate scientific knowledge about elderly people living alone. Methods: It is an integrative review performed on four international databases. The theoretical reference of the Quality of Life was chosen to categorize the results. Results: After critical reading and analysis of 16 selected articles, two main themes and four subthemes emerged. The first main theme was named by "Contextualization of the Elderly that Lives Alone"; the second main theme was called "The role of family in the life of the elderly living alone". Conclusion: This age group needs a support network to maintain their quality of life; this network must encompass family members, friends, neighbors and health professionals and these must aid the elderly living alone in daily activities, travels and healthcare, among others; since the elderly living alone usually present chronic conditions, cognitive/motor deficit and higher risk of social isolation.
Key-words: gerontology, geriatrics, nursing, Physical therapy.
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