ABSTRACT
Violence is a relevant theme nowadays, due to the high number of occurrences that affects specially the most fragile populations, as children, women, and the elderly. This study aims to analyze the understanding about elderly abuse at home, in the relatives’ viewpoint. It is a qualitative, exploratory and descriptive study, accomplished in Três Passos City, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. The sample was composed of 19 relatives that live with elderly people in the household. Data collection was carried out through semi-structured interviews, firstly tape-recorded and then transcribed. Data analysis followed the methodological steps: material organization, classification into categories and final analysis. Results are presented in two analytical categories. The first one broaches the perception that relatices have about abuse at home, and the second is about the relatives’ routine, when living and promoting care to the elderly in the household. We found out that both relatives and elders can live harmoniously at home, but there can be moments of conflict and misunderstandings, which reinforces the possibility of elderly abuse.
domestic violence; elder abuse; family; family relations; family conflict; observational studies; qualitative research; epidemiology; descriptive; interview; Três Passos/RS