Memory and socialization in elderly residents of a homes for the aged

Abstract

This study seeks to discuss an intervention carried out with institutionalized elderly people from the extension project “Art of Caring: psychological support for elderly residents and workers of homes for the aged in Minas Gerais”. The weekly meetings were structured both thematically and freely, aiming at the formation of bonds, the use of memory and the encouragement of socialization among the participants. A total of 20 elderly people participated in the intervention, 16 women and 4 men. The meetings proved to be valid for the physical and mental health of institutionalized elderly people, especially because they occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the routine in homes for the aged, in question, proved to be with the reduction of social interactions, due to the suspension of some activities such as dance, handicraft and physiotherapy classes. Therefore, we sought to cognitively and socially stimulate the participants, especially through the use of speech and memory. It is noted that the memories of the past linked to the life stories told by the elderly contribute to the understanding of the identity of these individuals who are unique, even though they are institutionalized. It is noteworthy that during the workshops, it was possible to perceive experiences that probably would not exist outside a group, which generated moments of group connection in a verbal or non-verbal way and evocation of comments about the past and the future.