Hypertensive women: a silent experience in family and society

Introduction: Hypertension has implications for public health indicators and quality of life of people and taking as a principle of autonomy of adults in making decisions against their health, this research seeks to understand the meaning that a group of hypertensive elderly women gave hypertension and their social environment. Methodology: This is a phenomenological study in the perspective of Merleau Ponti. Six women were interviewed who was volunteered to participate signed the informed consent record. Each one was conducted at home, in three depth - interviews. Results: Two thematic areas were identified for understanding the phenomenon, meaning “living with a silent disease but serious consequences” and “social environment: coadjuvant or limiting health care.” Hypertension was living with anxiety and concern. The social environment was a horizon of uncertainty, indifference, family, disrespect and abuse, and overload voltage generator, offset in part by support from neighbors and friends. Physical disability, coupled with long waits, alienated women from health institutions. We identified a lack of clarity on the continuing needs for monitoring and control of health. Conclusions: Social environment and the meaning given the same involved in the lack of adherence to treatment as well as the silent disease, meaning that as the participants gave to it. The connotation of women as caregivers, the social role ascribed and socially acceptable representations of what is a woman represented a very important role in the low self of the participants. Recommendations: Transcending the attention of healing attention towards health that provided the specific conditions and social environment is needed to improve health care of people. Develop programs hypertension with home care programs, emerges as an important alternative nursing care to these people.