Violence in old age: social representations elaborated by elderly people

Abstract Objective to analyze the social representations, for elderly men and women, about violence in old age. Method qualitative study based on the theoretical-methodological framework of social representations. Participants were 40 elderly users of Family Health Units in João Pessoa-PB, Brazil, through individual interviews, organized and submitted to the IRAMUTEQ software, concluded by the Descending Hierarchical Classification. Results the analysis pointed to five classes: Susceptibility of the elderly; Violence prevention; Social responsibility; Social expression of violence against the elderly; and Intrafamily violence. The data show that the representations of violence are expressed by individual, community and relational/social factors, revealing some gender differences. Conclusions and implications for practice it is clear that gender is a significant element in representations. While men indicated the need to prevent the phenomenon through education and social accountability, women pointed to subjective notions, including abuses committed by family members, and highlighting the relevance of the health professional for its identification. Such aspects separate out singularities that lack an accurate look from nursing and other professionals of the primary care teams, recognizing possible cases, notifying them and acting intersectorally to interrupt the situations verified.