Challenges for dignified care in homes for the aged

Abstract This article aims to present a descriptive and qualitative study to understand how care is implemented at the end of life in homes for the aged in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, Brazil. We interviewed 19 members from the technical team and 13 staff responsible for taking care of the institutionalized elderly. In this sense, we sought to investigate whether institutions are structured to recognize the need for care to ensure comfort and dignity in the dying process of their patients. From the analysis of the content from interviews and observations, it can be said that some of these structures are precarious. A relationship between care quality and availability of financial resources was also identified, demonstrating reification of care, that is, care is regarded as a commodity. In this way, bioethics of protection would be a tool to overcome the challenge for dignified care.