Access for the Elderly to Primary Health Care Services: an Integrative Review

Background: With the aging of the population, there is a trend of increase in the number of elderly people with greater needs for assistance in health. The challenge is to ensure access to all of them. Objective: Discussing on access of older persons to primary health care services from an integrative review. Method: Integrative review of literature through the databases CINAHL, LILACS, Medline, and Web of Science. The descriptors used were health services accessibility, elderly and primary health care. The instrument of data collection included: article title, journal name, year of publication, database, country, type of study, level of evidence, objectives and key results. There were met 111 published articles, 13 of which were selected for filling the inclusion criteria. Results: The difficulties of access faced by seniors include: limited offer; insufficient number of professionals; quick queries without identifying their needs; opening hours and inadequate, excessive wait time to be answered. The elderly still face external barriers to path-related service, and internal, non-adapted environments to their visual, auditory and limitations. Home care and over the phone, however, can facilitate access. The elderly should also receive information about your health problem and have the opportunity to clarify doubts. Conclusion: It is necessary to recognize the elderly as an individual with distinctive needs for improved access to health care.