Profile of Violence Against Elderly People in the State of Pernambuco from 2019 -2022

Population aging is a global phenomenon, and in Brazil, its manifestation is evident in the increase in the proportion of elderly people (aged 60 or over), a result of the reduction in the birth rate, the decrease in mortality rates and the increase in expectations of life. This is a descriptive, ecological time series study carried out with secondary data obtained through consultations with SINAN (Notifiable Diseases Information System), made available by the Information Technology Department of the Unified Health System (DATASUS), at the electronic address www.datasus.gov.br, health information (TABNET)/epidemiological and morbidity. The study population consisted of cases of violence against elderly people in the state of Pernambuco, registered in the Notifiable Diseases Information System – SINAN in the period from 2019 to 2022. This interval was selected due to the coincidence with the emergence of the COVID pandemic -19 and the subsequent implementation of social isolation measures. The data was accessed in March/April 2024. During the period analyzed, from 2019 to 2022, a total of 76,336 cases of violence against elderly people were recorded. Observing the data by year of notification, the following numbers stand out: 2019 with 19,332 cases, 2020 with 14,956 cases, 2021 with 19,072 cases and 2022 with 22,988 cases. Notably, the year 2022 recorded the highest number of cases of violence against the elderly, as shown in Table 1. There is an increase of approximately 294.52% in the registration of cases between 2019 and 2022. Violence against the elderly is a complex issue due to its dynamics and determining factors intrinsically linked to the family environment, the relationship between the victim and the perpetrator, and the dependence that is often present in this context. These initiatives aim to establish a comprehensive safety net for older people, with the aim of breaking the silence around this issue and increasing reporting. The expectation is that this will have a positive impact on reducing cases of violence against the elderly.