Aging: memories of old age, through the lands of always

Although the aging population in Portugal is a phenomenon that is only a few decades old, it already has an intense and filled history. The author follows the trail of this secular chronicle in which the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa has played and continues to play a fundamental role, from the creation of past hospices to the construction of always innovative responses in the eyes of the eras traversed up to the present day. Knowing this history is to walk the paths of medieval asylums. To return to the more recent past of gatherings and day centers. To travel to the creation of the home support service. To witness the persistent improvement that the homes have undergone. To learn about the new responses that include assisted living residences or temporary residences. Because tomorrow is built on yesterday and today, the history of care designed for the elderly is still being written through the routines of the present. The Multi-Purpose Center of Furnas and the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Home were the chosen stages by Ana Gomes to report the daily experiences in the elderly facilities of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa. This is the fifth issue of the “Solidarity Notebooks SCML” collection, an editorial series that showcases the work developed by the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa in its different areas of intervention.

Author: Ana Gomes
Collection: Solidarity Notebooks

Year of publication: 2010
Publisher: SCML
ISBN: 9789728761448