VIOLENCE AS AN EXPRESSION OF THE “SOCIAL ISSUE”: the social worker's contribution to protecting and enabling the rights of the elderly

Abstract

The Brazilian elderly population has been growing over the years, a trend also noted in other countries. Linked to this population aging, cases of violence committed against elderly people have also been increasing, being an outcome of the ongoing capitalist crisis and its repercussions on the worsening of expressions of the “social issue”. This work aims to understand the contribution of the Social Worker to enabling the right of elderly people who have suffered some type of violence. Qualitative research was carried out, through exploratory, bibliographic and documentary studies that were related to our object of study.  The approach to the theme of the work resulted from the experience at PET-SAÚDE, developed in a UBS, the Mandatory Supervised Internship in Social Service at UPA, Doctor Adhemar Dantas and the Curricular Component “Special Topics on Aging”. In both spaces, it was possible to contact elderly people in situations of violence and the importance of the Social Worker's professional practice was observed from the perspective of enabling rights, as well as the need to democratize access to legislation and protection mechanisms for elderly person.  It is of fundamental importance to encourage the elderly population to defend their rights and participate in spaces for debate, such as the Elderly People's Councils.