Objective: to describe the therapeutic itinerary of elderly people with diabetes mellitus registered at Family Health Strategy units.
Methods: qualitative and descriptive study carried out with 15 elderly people with diabetes mellitus between February and April 2019 by applying semi-structured interviews with the participants. Data were submitted to analysis of Minayo's operational proposal.
Results: in the folk care subsystem, the use of medicinal herbs, healers, and faith was emphasized by the participants. In the professional care subsystem, Family Health Strategy units were the services with the strongest bond to elderly people, but these patients still had to resort to the private healthcare network. Family proved to be the main source of support in the popular care subsystem.
Final considerations: nursing must acknowledge the different types of knowledge, coping strategies, beliefs, and the culture of elderly people with diabetes mellitus to guarantee the delivery of comprehensive care.