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Caregiving for the Elderly Person: Discourses Embedded in the Brazilian Practical Guide for the Caregiver

It is estimated that in 2025, Brazil will have the sixth largest elderly population in the world. Beyond the economic consequences of this projection, this changing demographic portends significant changes in the social realm. The aim of this study was to review and consider a range of government documents, developed during the past thirty years and directed toward elderly Brazilian citizens, to explore the ways that caregivers of older persons are positioned in daily care practices through the discourses such documents deploy. The analysis draws on Foucault’s genealogical approach, and begins with a review of the historicity of policies, regulations, and legislation related to older people, followed by an analysis of the discourses embedded in the Practical Guide for the Caregiver, a document created by the Brazilian Ministry of Health to provide guidance to informal caregivers in the actual provision of care to elders. The analysis shows that throughout the Guide, caregivers are portrayed as multifaceted subjects yet at the same time, three primary positionings for the caregiver and her or his work are emphasized: the almost-angel, the almost-healthcare professional, and the almost-household professional.

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Key Information

Type of Reference
Jour
Type of Work
Review
Publisher
Routledge
ISBN/ISSN
0895-9420
Publication Year
2017
Issue Number
5
Journal Titles
Journal of Aging & Social Policy
Volume Number
29
Start Page
444
End Page
460