[The significance of home care in caring for the elderly in their twilight years: the human perspective of the SUS professional].

The access to healthcare of elderly individuals in their twilight years needing palliative care in the home serve as a wake-up call in terms of current healthcare programs and strategies. This study seeks to analyze the relevance of home visits within the scope of primary healthcare actions for the elderly from the standpoint of professionals of the Unified Health System (SUS). It is a study with a qualitative theoretical and methodological approach, involving comprehensive research together with 12 health professionals, based on the thinking of German philosopher Hans-Georg Gadamer.

Incidence and predictors of edentulism among south Brazilian older adults.

Objective: To identify socioeconomic, demographic, behavioural and clinical predictors of the 8-year incidence of edentulism in south Brazilian older adults.

Methods: Cohort of a representative sample of older persons in Carlos Barbosa, a south Brazil city. A cohort study was conducted using a simple random sample of 392 older people evaluated in 2004, with follow-ups in 2008 and 2012, when 199 participants were evaluated.