Meaning of being aged / leprosy ill

Abstract

Explanatory study by a quantitative approach to find out the meaning of being old/leprosy ill. The elderly people with leprosy diagnose and that have been attended in a public ambulatory service of João Pessoa – PB was the population study. The data were collected by interviewing and analyzed by content analysis, from which emerged three categories with its respective subcategories. We verify that the old ones express a devaluation of the society, especially from their families. The unknowing about the disease and the aging process reinforces prejudice, provoking family and society rejection feelings.