Consideracoes sobre servicos de advocacy para pessoas idosas no contexto de revitalizacao urbana

This article is based on a recent survey for the evaluation of an advocacy service for older people, the Generation Project, in the context of urban revitalization in East Manchester, UK. The Generation Project provides accommodation information and advocacy services and social welfare issues to empower vulnerable older people so they can cope with the revitalization process. The Generation Project was organized in two fields of action: the individual, focused mainly on housing, and the collective, focused on social welfare. Each of the branches of the advocacy service has a representative of the Generation Project. Using data from interviews of service participants, this article outlines how clients and affiliated organizations have identified the psychosocial benefits, social welfare and services offered by the Generation Project. The research also focused on the discussion of individual and collective advocacy processes and how they created conditions for elderly clients to gain control of their own lives, but at the same time, they obtained the perception of situations of helplessness and frustration in other contexts. Issues of trust, dignity and respect were key to bringing together older people and service providers. Another aspect raised was the establishment of the Over 50's Forum, which created opportunities for these people to define and express their interests and concerns, both locally and nationally. While small-scale nature, the Generation Project worked well for senior clients, but somehow hampered the establishment of strong associations linked to powerful organizations, undermining advocacy work. In conclusion, advocacy, as a way to strengthen the elderly, as articulated in the context of the Generation Project, required individual determination, collective effort, organizational commitment and working together.