Social Representations of Diabetes Mellitus by the Elderly
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23925/2176-901X.2020v23i2p347-364Keywords:
Diabetes Mellitus, Aging, Social representation.Abstract
The way people represent Diabetes Mellitus can influence living with the disease. The objective was to apprehend the social representations regarding Diabetes Mellitus and analyze the impacts of the disease on the lives of 11 elderly people treated at Clinical School of Physiotherapy. Three categories emerged: 1) Diabetes Mellitus: A bad disease; 2) Diabetes Mellitus: total change of life; 3) Diabetes Mellitus: Resilience. It is essential for health professionals to know the social representations of Diabetes Mellitus in order to develop health education actions and care for patients with this disease.