Open AccessIntegrated Care in the Community: The Case of the Programa Maior Cuidado (Older Adult Care Programme) in Belo Horizonte-Minas Gerais, BRA
Author(s) -
Janaína de Souza Aredes,
Jenny R. Billings,
Karla Cristina Giacomin,
Peter LloydSherlock,
Josélia Oliveira Araújo Firmo
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal of integrated care
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.083
H-Index - 32
ISSN - 1568-4156
DOI - 10.5334/ijic.5619
Subject(s) - context (archaeology) , independence (probability theory) , integrated care , focus group , nursing , social care , older people , health care , sociology , political science , economic growth , gerontology , business , medicine , geography , marketing , statistics , mathematics , archaeology , economics , law
Internationally, there is a large body of scientific evidence concerning the benefits of integrating health and social care to ensure that frail older people living in the community receive the assistance they need to maintain independence. In the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte, located in the state of Minas Gerais, an integrated care intervention has been developed: the Programa Maior Cuidado – Older Adult Care Programme (PMC). This programme represents a pioneering example in Brazil of the provision of carers for highly vulnerable older people, through integrated action between public health and social service agencies. This paper draws on the first phase of a mixed method evaluation of PMC, including data from documentary sources, focus groups, empirical observation and expert workshops, to examine the processes that led to the establishment of programme. The origins of the PMC are discussed and its operational processes, with a particular emphasis on integrated activities and the roles of different actors. The paper situates PMC within comparable international experiences of integrated provision for older people and considers how it has been affected by unique context and challenging of a middle-income country.