National policy on health of the elderly person in the light of the steps of the public policy cycleand national health research

Abstract

Aging has repercussions in several sectors, demanding the formulation of public policies and constant reflection on the subject. The objective was to understand the National Health Policy for Elderly People – PNSPI based on the Public Policy Cycle, proposed by Raeder (2014) with the Monitoring and Evaluation of Actions stage analyzed with data from the National Health Survey – PNS 2013. It is an exploratory descriptive study with an analysis of a theoretical framework based on the Public Policy Cycle. In the Perception and Definition of Problems stage, the Brazilian population aging in condition of social and gender inequality was highlighted. In the Formation of the Decision-making Agenda, several governmental priorities were marked by the demand for quality care for the elderly. In the Formation of Programs, plans and actions were verified with a view to active and healthy aging. In the Policy Implementation stage, which converts political intentions into concrete ones, it was found that there is still a way to go. In the Monitoring and Evaluation of Actions, it was found that, even after 07 years of the implementation of the PNSPI, the prevalence of elderly people with functional difficulties is high. It is concluded that the PNSPI covers all stages of the cycle of public policies in a cohesive and coherent way, however, alone it was not able to significantly change the epidemiological scenario of the elderly. It is necessary to restart the stages of the cycle with a view to strengthening the proposals of national and regional policy and development regarding to active and healthy aging.