Abstract
Introduction
The population that lives (survive) on the streets is often characterized by the rupture of social ties and the use of drugs, necessitating health care and social assistance.
Objective
To identify and analyze the perceptions of the occupational therapist professionals and the users about the performance and specificity of the occupational therapy with the street people assisted by the community-based drug treatment service (CAPS-ad III) and the Embracement Unit (EU).
Method
This is an exploratory and qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews with 3 occupational therapists and 5 users of a CAPS-ad III from the Federal District and the Embracement Unit (EU) referenced by this CAPS-ad III; the data were analyzed using analysis content.
Results
The data were organized into three thematic categories: (1) drug use, homelessness and treatment in CAPS-ad III; (2) the daily routine of Occupational Therapy; (3) Occupational Therapy and Social Integration.
Conclusion
The Occupational Therapy acts with the population in a street situation with a look at the daily life and performance of Activity of Daily Living (ADL), working in the perspective of Harm Reduction as a way to seek a higher quality of life of users. It is necessary to take care spaces and social assistance to the user context, to take actions extrapolating the physical space of CAPS-ad and placing the user as an active participant in this process.
Keywords:
Homeless Persons; Street Drugs; Occupational Therapy