title: [Primary healthcare geared to the needs of the elderly: from theory to practice].
abstract: This article seeks to establish a confrontation between theory and practice with respect to healthcare for the elderly. The theory was evaluated by a study of documents that comprise the legal and theoretical framework related to the health of the elderly, which generated a matrix to assess universal access, equity, comprehensiveness and quality of care. However, the practice of healthcare was evaluated by a population-based study conducted on 862 elderly individuals and a census that assessed primary healthcare (PHC) units in two districts of Porto Alegre in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The variables chosen to verify the categories were type of care accessed, first contact attribute, wheelchair accessibility and availability of priority access. Other variables include comprehensive care and the presence of dental root remains, basic PHC score, the adequacy of health facilities and ongoing professional training, as well as cross-sectional categories, elderly groups and home care. A mismatch was found between recommendation and practice in some factors and advances were observed in the equity and quality of care regarding the ongoing training of professionals.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Pesquisa em Odontologia Social, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil, fernandoneveshugo@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Aline Blaya
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul.
authors.forename: Otávio Pereira
authors.initials: OP
authors.lastname: D'Avila
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Odontologia Preventiva e Social, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul.
authors.forename: Juliana Balbinot
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Hilgert
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Odontologia Preventiva e Social, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul.
authors.forename: Fernando Neves
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Hugo
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001938:Brazil; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data