[Cultural singularities: indigenous elderly access to Public Health Service].
OBJECTIVE
Describing how Kaingang seniors and their primary caregivers experience access to public health services.


METHODS
A qualitative study guided by ethnography, conducted with 28 elderly and 19 caregivers. Data were collected between November 2010 and February 2013 through interviews and participative observation analyzed by ethnography.


RESULTS
The study revealed the benefits and difficulties of the elderly access to health services, the facility to obtain health care resources such as appointments, medications and routine procedures, and the difficulties such as special assistance service problems and delays in the dispatching process between reference services.


CONCLUSIONS
The importance of knowing and understanding the cultural specificities of the group in order to offer greater opportunities for the elderly access to health services was reinforced.
Departamento de Enfermagem, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, PR, BR.
Ana Carla
AC
Borghi
Departamento de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, BR.
Angela Maria
AM
Alvarez
Departamento de Enfermagem, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, PR, BR.
Sonia Silva
SS
Marcon
Departamento de Enfermagem, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, PR, BR.
Lígia
L
Carreira
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001938:Brazil; D017028:Caregivers; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006303:Health Services, Indigenous / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007199:Indians, South American; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011634:Public Health