Old age from the perspective of students of medicine: social representation

Abstract

As an academic professor of the FMP, our concern with the relationship between the students and the elderly motivated us to carry out this research. Our objectives were to analyze Social Representations (SR) that medical students have regarding to the elderly and aging, to discuss their relationships with the elderly and to identify their difficulties, anxieties and expectations when dealing with these patients. Our discussions were about concepts of SR and SR and Health, Aging and Old Age, the Elderly and the Old Age in the current Brazilian Society. A semi-structured questionnaire and the technique “focal group” were used. The subjects were 96 students in the 4th year, in 2004. Analysis of data was performed by occurrence of frequency, percentage and thematic analysis. They conceive the old age as “wisdom” and “experience”, which may relieve the fact that it is a period of losses and limitations. They have a good relationship when the elderly look like their grandparents. They feel afraid and anguish due to the association of old age to disease and death.