A reorganização das demandas e ações que a atual pandemia proveniente da COVID-19 acarreta na Política de Assistência Social aos Idosos

Abstract

The phenomenon of population aging affects societies at a global level. In Brazil, the elderly population has the highest growth rate. Since 1988 with the Federal Constitution, Brazil has been implementing public policies aimed at this segment of the population. The National Elderly Policy and later the Elderly Statute were important milestones for guaranteeing the social rights of the elderly, creating conditions to promote their autonomy, integration and effective participation in society. The aging process and the experience of old age are strongly related to the place where the person live, which can influence social conditions, health and risk factors for the development of chronic degenerative diseases, and other major geriatric diseases, injuries and syndromes . Currently, the world is experiencing a pandemic caused by the new Coronavirus (SARS CoOV 2), which affects the elderly more aggressively, with an infectious disease, called COVID-19 by the World Health Organization - WHO. This population requires the provision of specialized care both in the area of health and social assistance, which complement family care, given that families have also undergone a major transformation process. The present study aimed to analyze and understand the demands and actions of the Social Assistance Policy manager, through its coordinators of the Basic Social Protection Services and the Special Social Protection Services (medium and high complexity), regarding the current situation. pandemic caused by the new Coronavirus (SARS-COV 2) in the elderly population, in a large city in the interior of the state of São Paulo. This is an observational, exploratory, qualitative study. The study involved 15 coordinators of social assistance equipment for basic and specialized social protection of Social Assistance, operating in the municipality, the sample being composed of: 94% of women, with an average age of 47 years, 94% of white individuals, 79% with formation of Social Worker, with an average time of 3.6 years in the current position. The thematic categories that make up the study are "Assistance Emergency" and "Service Management Emergency", reflecting the need for the rapid reorganization of services to serve the usual public and the new public that emerged during this period. The study revealed the tension between increased demand and the need for resources for care, showing the importance of assistance to vulnerable elderly people and their families in the pandemic context. Finally, the study revealed the resilience of the municipality's assistance services, despite the reduction in state investments, and the importance of intersectoral articulation as a way of making services more effective and a strategy to mitigate the social damage of the pandemic in the elderly population.