THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL SUPPORT NETWORKS TO REABILITATION PROCESS

Abstract

The personal social network is build by people who live with the subject in their daily reality and those who are available to contact. This network has an outstanding importance in the life of people with physical disability. Health professionals usually work together the personals social networks in basic care services, and the same happens to physical therapy actions. This study aims to analyze the interaction with the social networks intending to increase physical therapy actions in primary health attention. Hence, an action-research was developed consisting of a mapping of the social networks of disabled people was done by means of semi-structured interviews, followed by social networks activation/mobilization through meetings and personal contacts was accomplished. The results showed the difference between the social networks of the disabled people and the erosion which occurs in this networks, imposing them diverse degrees of isolation and making the rehabilitation process difficult. It showed as well, that interaction between health professionals and social networks makes possible a more realistic rehabilitation and an entire way of acting, contributing to produce autonomy processes.