Social rights and old age in rural Parintins/Amazonas

The focus of this study is on the Statute of the Elderly, which, within the legal sphere, has made new provisions possible and created mechanisms to ensure the rights advocated in the 1988 Federal Constitution and other legislation. With this in mind, the aim of this study was to analyse the progress and limits of the implementation of the Statute for the Elderly in rural areas based on the experience of old age in the community of Bom Socorro do Zé-Açú in the municipality of Parintins - Amazonas. In terms of socio-demographic characteristics, the research revealed that the elderly population living in rural areas is mostly made up of elderly people. With regard to aspects of ageing, the reports point to ageing linked to activities such as fishing, agriculture, based on traditional knowledge, always resorting to self-medication for healing practices. Finally, this research found that the elderly in Bom Socorro are unaware of the scope of the statute in relation to the implementation of the fundamental rights prescribed by the Statute of the Elderly, and that the statute is limited in its scope in terms of the services aimed at guaranteeing the fundamental rights of the elderly.