Primary Health Care in caring for dependent older adults and their caregivers

Primary Health Care is a care model whose attributes contribute to solving most of the health problems of older adults in Brazil's increased longevity. This investigation aims to analyze the care provided to the dependent older adults and their caregivers within Primary Health Care. This is a qualitative study conducted in eight Brazilian municipalities in 2019. A total of 190 subjects participated in the research, whose information was collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed through the theoretical framework of Dialectic Hermeneutics. Problems with access, home care, the health care network, and interprofessional work were identified. The teams provide practices under the biomedical model's logic focused on the medical professional, although health promotion and disease prevention actions have been identified. There is a need to qualify PHC and expand the scope of practices, incorporating the core of knowledge not traditionally introduced into the teams. Moreover, it is essential to strengthen the State's role and create specific public policies for dependent older adults and their caregivers.