O idoso na contemporaneidade: a necessidade de se educar a sociedade para as exigências desse "novo" ator social, titular de direitos

this paper explores the historical framework of social changes, in the second half of the 20th century, in brazil. it highlights the issue of the elderly within an ageing population. it then locates social changes as the power loss of the elderly, due to the urbanization and modernization whose new job structure has transformed ex-heads of extended families into retired people. next, it proposes measures to rescue the dignity of this important "sociological category", based on the education of the new society. it suggests that, for teachers who do not dare to deal with the children and adolescent statute (cas), a good path to confront the complex area of human rights could be working with their students to value the elderly memories. this thus means that children and teenagers should get knowledge and value the elderly, acknowledging them as rights owners.