Educação sobre o uso de plantas medicinais a idosas residentes em uma instituição de longa permanência de Fortaleza (CE)

Abstract

Health Education is a proposal of action widely used in community activities since it has a wide variety of implementation, due to the possibility of using both traditional and active methodologies, always analyzing the most comfortable approach for the target public. This proposal can be used for people of any age group, although the contexts are different. Based on these considerations, this study aims to describe the experience of Health Education as an action to promote the rational use of Medicinal Plants to elderly women residents of a Long-Stay Institution (LSI) in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. Using a flipchart as a support, activities were conducted in order to identify the degree of the elderly’s knowledge relating to the 10 medicinal plants exposed to them. Questions were asked about botanical recognition and preparation with medicinal herb during the dialogue in order to expose the popular knowledge that the participants in the activity had. Moreover, the elderly women received information about the care of medicinal plants and their cultivation so that they could be responsible for the care of the garden that would be built. It was then possible, in addition to guaranteeing the construction of mutual knowledge, to foster interaction between the elderly women, to contribute to the care and rational use of medicinal plants. Thus, the importance of inserting the education in community activities is confirmed in order to give more support to the processes of health promotion.