PSYCHOLOGY AND AGING: INTERNSHIP REPORT IN A LONG-TERM CARE INSTITUTION

Abstract

This qualitative study, in the form of an experience report, aimed to describe the experience of a basic internship in Social Psychology at a Long-Term Care Institute for the Elderly (LTCI) in Curitiba/PR. The research was conducted in four five-hour meetings, with the participation of sixteen residents of both sexes. Data collection was based on participant observation and the systematization of life stories, highlighting central themes such as family ties, challenges inherent to the aging process, and the impacts of institutionalization. The results highlight the relevance of welcoming as a therapeutic strategy: active listening favored the resignification of adverse emotions and the subjective strengthening of residents. Furthermore, the urgency of creating spaces for speech that value the protagonism of the elderly and of adopting humanized care practices that transcend the asylum and biomedical model still predominant in many LTCIs was reinforced. It is concluded that dialogic and humanized interventions are essential for the promotion of well-being, autonomy and quality of life in old age.