The significance of elderly people’s limitations to physical therapy students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23925/2176-901X.2014v17i4p95-118Keywords:
Physical Therapy, Elderly people, Qualitative research.Abstract
This research was objective investigate the significance of the physical and sensorial limitations of the elderly to Physical Therapy students. Qualitative research carried out with 32 students with simulation procedures of elderly people’s sensorial and physical limitations were used, in an environment with obstacles. Data were collected from non-structured interviews and analyzed by the hermeneutics-dialectical method. Nine significances were observed: the value of elderly people with positive attitudes, the agony of having limitations, awareness of the limitations and the need for more adequate physical therapeutic treatment, the effects of the limitations on the elderly people’s routine activities, perception of the existing prejudice in the society, not being aware that they are aging, environmental obstacles for the elderly, overcoming routine difficulties and perception of their grandparents’ difficulties.