Health implications and institutional support in retired women teachers

Abstract

The objectives of this article were to deepen in the experiences of fifteen retired female teachers during their health–illness process; to investigate how they value their state of health, what strategies they implemented, and what institutional support was received. The methodology used was the qualitative paradigm, with Heidegger´s phenomenological–hermeneutic approach, which proposes an interpretative phenomenology from the intersubjectivity between the researcher and the retired women, through semi-structured in-depth interviews.Among the main findings, it stands out that most of the interviewees did not seek medical attention when they were working and when they retired, they were diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension, and thyroid cancer, among others. Several teachers continue to work, stating that they still feel productive. UNAN University has policies to support all retired teachers. Most of them did not have a life project, being necessary for the university to have a support plan for women teachers in the pre-retirement stage. Therefore, there should be a health approach aimed at pre-retirees and retirees, promoting healthy lifestyles and biannual medical checkups, which will strengthen the line of research on the elderly.