Managers’ strategies in caring for dependent elderly at home in Brazil

Abstract

Objective To investigate the strategies Brazilian health managers employ to supply dependent elderly home care. Methods This is qualitative hermeneutics-based research with a comprehensive perspective on elderly home care. Sixteen managers working in Primary Health Care and specific elderly healthcare programs from the five Brazilian regions participated in this study. Data were collected from June to September 2019 with semi-structured interviews, and later systematized and consolidated into two themes in light of hermeneutics. Results Managers articulated health education practices, mapped vulnerabilities, implemented care flows and protocols, and organized community support and health promotion groups, besides integrative and complementary practices to consolidate and improve elderly home care. Conclusion Multiple strategies in dependent elderly home care stand out, such as individual and collective health education actions and work management processes, in which the manager plays a crucial role in developing services for the elderly.