O processo saúde-doença-cuidado e a população em situação de rua

Abstract

This paper gives an empirical and contextualized presentation of the health-sickness-care process and its relation with poverty, emphasizing the problem of people who live in and of the street. We try to stimulate a reflection on the technical, scientific and political function of nursing care for the street population. This paper is structured in three topics: first, we present the problem of people living in the streets of São Paulo city, characterizing their peculiarities and emphasizing ways of survival. Next, we situate the theoretical study area, discussing the health-sickness-care process and its relation with poverty, as well as nursing care. Finally, we present some final considerations.

Health and self-care among garbage collectors: work experiences in a recyclable garbage cooperative

“…Separating waste, not only due to its informal nature, but mainly because of the risks it offers, is legally considered unhealthy (12) . When looking beyond work, it should also be highlighted that health results from fully attended social needs, in the sense of obtaining a dignified and high-quality life (13) , which is not observed in these workers' case.…”

“…Informality and poverty are persisting problems and this whole complex network interacts with the subjects' health, as it permeates several dimensions of their physical, mental and social wellbeing (13) . (4) .…”

Quem mandou ficar velho e morar na rua?

“…For the elderly living on the streets, some of the basic institutions in society, such as private property, family, job market, cease to provide common strategies for survival. The life trajectory of these people always reveals a sequence of facts and personal failures and lack of institutional support (13)(14)(15) .…”

“…On the street, they invent ways of fleeing from the looks of passers-by, which is not always possible. At shelters, the rules separate users per gender, implying the division of families, set times for hygiene, meals, arrival and departure, in sum, they discipline the bodies -so that some people decide not to use shelters (14) .…”

“…To get a job, a temporary job or even to beg, people on the street attempt to stay close to commercial areas where small services are offered (deliver orders, unload trucks, small job, guard cars, guards, among others) and where there is a greater flow of people, guaranteeing alms. Another important activity for adult people living on the street is to collect and sell paper, cardboard, cans, with the familiar image of carts pulled by human beings in big cities (14)(15) . For the elderly, this work is often incompatible with their functional capacity, often affected by chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes.…”