Resumen de Tradition and innovation in residential structures for the elderly
Maria Luisa Trindade Bestetti, Mariana Alves da Silva do Nascimento
, Maria Madalena Aguiar da Cunha Matos
Based on the research entitled Alternatives for housing in old age: knowing the Portuguese experience to innovate in institutional models appropriate to Brazilian culture, this article addresses the transformations in buildings for housing institutionalized elderly, and seeks to point out innovative initiatives in traditional projects, considering form, function, user and the insertion of these built structures in the immediate urban context. The reflections are based on the study of five residential buildings in the Lisbon region, mainly built "from scratch" for this purpose and different periods of the 21st century. The data were collected through participant observation, photographic records, field notes, interviews with residents, application of a questionnaire, and analysis of the plans of each Residence. It was possible to conclude that there are both subtle and weighty changes in the conformation and appropriation of spaces, and greater emphasis on stimulating the autonomy and well-being of the elderly, configured in environments that offer more appropriate conditions for significant interactions between the various social actors that circulate in these places, whether elderly residents, family members or employees. It is the tradition revisited by innovation to accommodate with quality older people living increasingly longer and capable of acting independently.
