Pazienti anziani, caregiver e medici nella relazione terapeutica. Equilibrismi tra negoziazioni e rischi di discriminazione

The article analyses the views of elderly patients suffering from cognitive decline or heart failure, and their caregivers on their relationship with healthcare professionals within outpatient services, a care setting increasingly relevant for the management of chronicity in old age. Through the analysis of 36 interviews and adopting Strauss’s theory of negotiated order, we investigate the relational dynamics that regulate the therapeutic interaction, with particular attention to the possible presence of ageist practices. The results show a significant participation of patients and caregivers in the co-construction of the care pathway, but also highlight critical issues related to the asymmetry of power between the actors present in the cure setting.