Projetos de vida em estruturas residenciais para pessoas idosas: estudo qualitativo com profissionais técnicos em Portugal
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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31211/rpics.2026.12.1.423Palavras-chave:
Autonomia pessoal, Cuidados centrados na pessoa, Envelhecimento, Estrutura residencial para pessoas idosas, Projeto de vida, Investigação qualitativaResumo
Context: The operationalization of personal life projects in Long-Term Care Facilities for older adults (LTCF) remains scarcely documented, despite the relevance of person-centered practices for residents' autonomy, identity continuity, and sense of purpose. Objective: To understand, from the perspective of professional staff working in Portuguese LTCF, the conceptions of life project in residential care for older adults, the practices of design and implementation, the facilitators and barriers to its operationalization, and the professional proposals for its improvement. Method: A qualitative study with a descriptive-interpretive orientation, based on semi-structured interviews with 11 professional staff members of LTCF distributed across the North, Center, South, and Autonomous Region of the Azores in Portugal, conducted between October 2021 and April 2022, in remote format. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and subjected to thematic content analysis, with double coding, discussion of discrepancies, and auditing of analytic decisions. Results: Four thematic axes emerged: (a) conceptions of the life project as biographical continuity, meaning attribution, and recognition of singularity; (b) heterogeneity in institutional practices, particularly regarding the timing of project definition, degree of formalization, and resident participation; (c) organizational, relational, and technical facilitators and barriers; and (d) proposals centered on team training, organizational flexibility, and strengthening of institutional commitment to residents' aspirations. Conclusions: The effective operationalization of life projects in LTCF appears feasible but requires flexible organizational conditions, specialized training, and formal mechanisms for resident participation. The absence of direct perspectives from older adults constitutes a relevant limitation; future research with source triangulation is recommended.
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Direitos de Autor (c) 2026 Bibiana Pedrosa, Ricardo Pocinho, Cristóvão Margarido, Patricia Torrijos
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