The national and international literature suggest that the process of becoming old in an issue of great interest for researchers, statisticians, and epidemiologists. The literature shows that the population of elderly worldwide is increasing rapidly. Particularly in countries in development, this population has been increasing significantly but the resources and support systems necessary to attend this population is not expanding at the same rate. Therefore, concerns regarding this population profile have led to many serious discussions and studies to provide data to those in political position to create adequate programs and policies to attend to the specific needs of the elderly population without isolating them from society. Thus, the goal of this paper is to discuss the social situation of the elderly in Brazil taken into consideration demographic, epidemiologic, and psychosocial. Emphasis is placed on retirement, the importance of the family, and on the interpersonal relationships.
Elder; Social situation; Epidemiology; Retirement; Family