Experiência em grupos de convivência de idosos: interfaces com a terapia ocupacional

Objective: To describe Occupational Therapy students’ experience of their participation in a social group for older people in a community located in the central region of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Data synthesis: The activity was developed during the Supervised Internship in Community Health from March to July 2015 in the sixth term of the Occupational Therapy course. Students’ work with the participants of the social group included activities aimed at integrating university teaching, research and extension activities focused on improving the quality of life and the health status of the participants through the prevention of injuries and complications taking into consideration the noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) presented by most of the participants in the group. Conclusion: The experience showed that Occupational Therapy groups enabled the identification of potential and skills in a population that is undervalued by society in terms of productivity and that the group constituted a space for redefining life, overcoming daily obstacles, developing new healthy life habits and engaging in active aging.