Changes in the quality of life of an elderly group of the family health strategy

Background: To analyze the quality of life of a group of elderly people enrolled in the Family Health Strategy of the Igapo neighborhood, in the city of Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Methods: This is a longitudinal study with a quantitative approach. The process of data collection occurred in two different moments. The instruments used to collect data were: “Questionnaire on socio-demographic data” and the “Brazilian Version of the Short Form-36 Quality of Life Questionnaire (SF-36).” Results: It was verified that most of them were women, with low purchasing power and low education level. There was a predominance of unmarried elderly individuals who did not perform work activities. Higher scores were identified for the emotional, physical and mental domains. In the first collection, lower scores regarding the general state of health and pain were observed. There were better percentages of improvement in the areas of General Health Status, Body Pain and Social Function and Physical Health dimension. The activities developed in the coexistence group together with the elderly were classified as educational, physical/functional and commemorative. Conclusion: This study showed higher scores in the physical, functional and mental aspects, where the autonomy of the elderly is directly related, reflecting an active aging favoring a better quality of life. Keywords: Elderly; Quality of life; Health of the Elderly.