Abstract
While vulnerability is a universal human condition, there are people with specific vulnerabilities, which can be aggravated by personal, socioeconomic, cultural, geopolitical or environmental factors. The objective of this article is to analyze the special vulnerability condition of the elderly in light of the principle of patient-centered care. The study is based on the conceptions of vulnerability proposed by Herring - who discusses the dual vulnerability of elderly patients in the context of health care - and by the 8th article of the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights of Unesco (UDBHR), which deals with “Respect for Human Vulnerability and Individual Integrity”. The paper is structured in three parts: the first one addresses the concept of vulnerability; the second relates vulnerability to the principle of patient-centered care; and the third deals with the special condition of vulnerability of the elderly patient, with presentation and discussion of illustrative cases. It is concluded, at last, that elderly patients present increased vulnerability due to the fragility of their social network of protection, the asymmetry of care relationships and the risk of harm to which they are subjected in daily health care.
Keywords:
Elderly Patient; Vulnerability; Human Rights; Bioethics