Painting Workshop with Institutionalized Elderly People: A Sociocultural Perspective of the Life-course

Abstract

Despite the progressive aging of the population, especially in Latin America, and the precariousness of the public policies related to the elderly, there are few studies regarding this moment of life. The objectives of this study were to discuss the citizenship of the aged who are homeless or who live in nursing homes in Brazil and to discuss the training of psychologists to work with the elderly population. For this, we highlight the developmental transformations of the aged participants on specific extension activities at an institutional shelter service in Brasilia, Brazil. The methodology involved painting workshops, exhibitions in public spaces, and interviews with the mediation of artistic resources and autobiographical narratives. The analyses used the sociocultural psychology of the life-course. New learning experiences, identity changes, and new projects for the future took place among participants. We point out the need for transformations in the training of psychologists, in order to better qualify their performance according to public policies aimed at ensuring the rights of the elderly.