<b>Strategies for coping with chronic diseases: a model where everyone wins</b> - doi: 10.4025/actascihumansoc.v34i1.16181

Abstract

The social and economic transformations of recent decades and their consequent changes in the lifestyles of contemporary society – changes in eating habits, increasedsedentarianism and stress – and longest life expectancy of the population contributed to the increased incidence of chronic diseases, which today are a serious health problem. Cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and respiratory diseases are the major cause of mortality worldwide. In Brazil, in recent decades, chronic non-communicable diseases have become major causes of premature death and disability. Creative focus should be directed to the care of the elderly, who are the ones who suffer the effects of their own weakness and demand more health services. The National Agency of Supplementary Health published a resolution that encourages the participation of beneficiaries in health insurance programs for active aging, with the possibility of discounts on fees. Thus, the elderly now receive cash benefits to comply with preventive health programs and early detection of diseases. This opinion paper aims to present issues relating not only to the recent initiative of the Agency, but rather to Uerj’s Open University for Studies on the Elderly, which for 18 years has been approaching the theme of new health care models. This text expresses the institution’s latest project, which is to develop a health care model integrating promotion and attention for the elderly’s health.