DEMANDAS DE SAÚDE DA PESSOA IDOSA RESIDENTE NO MUNICÍPIO DE ARARAS/SÃO PAULO

Introduction: Population aging increases health demands across various life segments. Objective: To identify the health demands of elderly residents in the municipality of Araras, São Paulo. Methodology: A multicenter, longitudinal, and analytical study was conducted with 112 elderly residents in Araras/SP, who individually responded to: Vulnerability Scale (VES-13), Brazilian version of the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15), and risk of violence (H-S/EAST). Data were analyzed descriptively, and a Chi-Square test was performed for association (α=5%; p-value<0.05). Ethical approval was granted under opinion no. 4393230. Results: The average age was 70.2 years, with a predominance of young elderly (52.7%), males (53.6%), whites (69.6%), and married individuals (63.4%). The main health demands were: non-communicable chronic diseases (72.3%), frailty (58.9%), pain (48.2%), vulnerability (42.0%), increased risk of violence (36.6%), polypharmacy (25.9%), and mild to moderate depression (15.2%). Conclusion: Health demands such as pain, chronic diseases, vulnerability, frailty, depression, and violence were identified, enabling the planning of strategies for health promotion and providing the elderly with a healthy, independent, and better quality of life.