"I Lived, Studied, Loved, and Even Believed”

Systematic Review About Loneliness in Brazilian Elderly

Abstract

Objective: To explore how specialized and up-to-date literature on health area has addressed the problem of loneliness in Brazilian elderly. Method: It's a systematic literature review, guided by the research question: How does the specialized and updated literature in health area address the problem of loneliness in Brazilian elderly? The bibliographic search with the descriptors "elderly" and "Loneliness", from January 2011 to December 2015, was carried out in databases of the portal of Virtual Health Library (VHL). Results: At the end of process 14 articles were selected, which addressed the emotional aspects of elderly, namely: Relationship between caregivers and elderly, emotional state and quality of life; Knowledge about aging, self-care and psychosocial adjustment; Confrontation and adaptation; Relationships between the environment of care and the feelings of these subjects about the new condition. Conclusions: Phenomenon of loneliness in Brazilian Elderly has been portrayed and referred to as an unpleasant subjective experience, with affectation of psychoemotional dimension of these subjects. And, the relationship between objective abandonment and loneliness, although real, as it happens in asylums, may manifest more insidiously inside their homes.