The patient-centered care model from the perspective of the elderly patient

Abstract

Objective: It has been highly discussed in the academic sphere the need to change the traditional standard of care, asymmetric and paternalistic, for a patient-centered model, in which the patient, recognized as the central actor of care, is stimulated by health professionals and family members to actively participate in their therapy. This paper focuses on the elderly patients because they face more frequent health problems and, due to their increased vulnerability, are subject to violations of rights in the care setting. The objective is to discuss the adoption of a patient-centered care model for elderly patients that meets their specificities and enables them to be self-determined. Methodology: This research was based on the survey, systematization and analysis of scientific studies on models of patient-centered care. Initially, a general perspective on the disease was presented, and a stipulation of a conceptual basis for patient-centered care was discussed, based on several discourses contained in the scientific literature. Finally, based on the peculiarities of the elderly patients, we sought to understand their position in relation to the disease, in order to think about the institution of a model of care shaped for them, in which they are recognized as the principal actor of the treatment. Conclusion: It was concluded that elderly patients can be active protagonists of their therapy, if the model of care offered recognizes them as vulnerable, as the central actor of the treatment, and enables them to share decisions and to be self-determined.