The perception of the elderly about the biomedical knowledge in the care of old age and "things of old age"

Abstract

The biomedical knowledge influences objective and subjective practices of people concerning body, health and life. Given the current context of population aging, this anthropological work aims to understand how the elements of biomedical knowledge influences the perception of the disease process and its relationship with aging among elderly community residents of Bambuí, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The studied group comprised 57 older adults (27 men and 30 women) aged between 62 and 96 years. The model of signs, meanings and actions guided the collection and analysis of data, allowing the systematization of context elements that participate in the construction of typical ways of thinking and acting of the respondents in face of aging. The results show that the medical and scientific knowledge appropriated by the local culture affects the ways of thinking and acting of the elderly investigated, identified as analytical categories of meaning: the valuation of biomedicine, the blaming of individuals, the naturalization of diseases in old age and resources and actions used by the elderly. Participants reproduce the biomedical view that associated diseases and limitations of age, the elderly themselves responsible for the current health condition, and still recommends rest and resignation for old age and illness lived with disability.