Mudanças na vida quotidiana em pessoas idosas institucionalizadas pelo impacto da doença

Objective: To verify the changes in daily life in institutionalized older adults caused by the impact of the disease, was the general objective of this ethnographic research. Method: The study was carried out with 99 residents of a long-term care institution for the elderly in southern Brazil. There was documentary research of the Institution and the permanence of the researcher to familiarize him with the environment and the entire public. Participant observation and semi-structured interviews were used for data collection. After the fieldwork, the data were analyzed through the description of the observation and the hermeneutic-dialectic method. Results: The results showed functional dependence, loss of autonomy, and personal control. Based on the participants’ comments, the study detected a lack of freedom, physical dependence to carry out routine activities, occupation reduction, isolation, and difficulty to sleep. The impairment of mobility was noted in the participant observation and the interviews. Conclusion: In the final remarks, the issue of qualitative research highlights the restriction of autonomy that older people are residing in the Institution in the face of the new conditions experienced in institutional life caused by the disease, which interferes with the quality of life of these residents.