Envelhecimento populacional e a sobrecarga familiar no cuidado com a pessoa idosa em tempos neoliberais

Abstract

The aging of the population in Brazil highlights complex challenges involving the relationship between family, state, and society in providing care to the elderly. As the population ages, the debate about responsibility for care intensifies, especially in a context marked by neoliberal policies that transfer most of the demands for care to families, mostly poor black women. The general objective of this study was to analyze how the relationship between family and state has been developing in the face of the challenges of the aging Brazilian population in the area of care for the elderly. In terms of specific objectives, these sought to verify data from research institutes and agencies, like IBGE, regarding the age distribution of the Brazilian population today, and how the population aging trend is occurring in our territory. Furthermore, theoretical productions that debate the challenges encountered within the family regarding the dimension of care for the elderly were identified, in addition to discussing the care of the elderly in the face of population aging within the scope of Social Protection, in the meantime problematizing the responsibility for care shared between family, State and society, based on the discussion of familism. We sought to hold a debate addressing old age with a gender perspective on a perspective of care in times of neoliberal advances, where there is a notorious lack of responsibility on the part of the Public Power, thus overloading the family with the care of providing food, medicines, among other aspects that satisfy basic needs. This is a bibliographic review research, based on a time frame of the last two decades, with the aim of supporting this research through academic theoretical productions, such as articles, documentaries, theses, books, Course Conclusion Papers, among other productions. Methodologically, it was based on dialectical historical materialism, seeking to understand aspects of reality from its multiple determinations through the elements necessary for the development of research with a critical approach to reality, focused on understanding the social and historical relations present in the current social context. Of a qualitative nature, this research aimed to analyze and explore the complexity and depth of this social phenomenon, which is population aging, and above all its implications for Brazilian society. The results obtained demonstrate the need for greater state intervention in social policies aimed at the elderly population and their families, as well as the importance of this debate to promote visibility for the problem.