Elderly in homeless and living in hostels: a literature review

Abstract

This research deals with a systematic and integrative review of the national literature on the theme of aging and of old age lived on the street situation and refuge centers (hostels). Therefore, was conducted a search for articles in databases using the following words combined as descriptors: “elderly and street dweller”, “elderly and street situation”, “elderly and homeless”, “elderly and hostel”, “aging and/or elderly and street dweller”, “aging and/or elderly and homeless”, “aging and/or elderly and hostel”, “aging and/or elderly and street situation”, “homeless”, “street dweller”, “hostel” e “street situation”. Following these criteria, were selected six articles that contain these descriptors. Of the six articles, four sought comprehend, problematize or describe generally speaking the challenges and conditions of individuals in street situation and their experiences in hostels. The other two articles covered the elderly subjects in street situation. It is concluded that more studies are necessary about elderly with these conditions as well as the developing of proposals for interventions and effective actions to rescue citizenship and meet the demands of these people and professionals working in the area.