TRANSCENDING WITH NATURE: THE ESPIRITUALITY FOR ELDER PEOPLE

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Considering that the people own an imaginative dimension about their way of living, we introduce the problem: “Which is the imaginary of the seniors about aging?” Our goal: to describe the poetics of the seniors about the aging identifying innovation possibilities in the nursing gerontologic practice since of their imaginary. We select the sociopoetical method and its analytic device – Researcher Group – for applying the research technique named Dynamics of the Geomythical Places, considering the guiding matter: “if to age ha been a geomythical place, how would be it?” The investigation was accomplished in the Third Age Open University of the State University of Rio de Janeiro – Brazil, from 2003 to 2004, analyzing the data production of 28 seniors components of the Researcher Group, close to investigator, by means the sociopoetical study named Infantile/ Surrealist. Among the results, are emphasized the following places associated to the themes: Rainbow, Way, Threshold/ To transcend with the nature; Bridge, Threshold, Rainbow / Spirituality; Way, Threshold and Rainbow / Interior Happiness. In the experimentation / interpretation of the results, are highlighted the categories: To transcend with the nature – it demonstrates the search of the seniors by their integration to the cosmos, their unconscious taken of spirituality; The happiness search begins in our interior – when we are near the old age, it begins the cosmic cycle, a moment that propitiates larger discernment / awakened conscience. It was concluded the imaginary of the seniors reveals the wish to meet with the nature, integrating themselves to the cosmos and not to the death of physical structure, so that which would be the significance of the life if we had only had the death? For innovating the nursing in gerontology, we must promote among the people the interrelation perception of all things because the Researcher Group discovered that the contact with the nature reveals the necessity of interaction because it is life and, like for human beings, the nature is renewing energy. KEYWORDS: Aged; Nursing Research; Spirituality.