This is a qualitative descriptive study, carried out with thirteen elderly men and women who were hospitalized in a surgical ward of the Brazilian National Health Care System (Sistema Único de Saúde). Its purpose is to describe the restraints faced by the elderly during their stay in the surgical unit. The study was conducted from March to May of 2005. Data were obtained by means of applying an unstructured interview with a single question, and they were verified by analyzing the resulting speeches. The following five categories of restraints were obtained as results; pointed out by the informants: tools used for caring; interaction with the professional team; nudity; hospitalization in shared rooms; and wearing a surgical apron. It is our professional duty to encourage the elderly to be participant beings and protagonists in the event of surgical hospitalization. The active participation of the elderly, as a way to reveal unnoticed details, will help in the process of caring and healing.
Aged; Shyness; Surgery