Estágio supervisionado em enfermagem: visão de preceptores

The present study aimed to analyze the vision of tutors from a university hospital about supervised internship in nursing. It is a descriptive nature research with qualitative approach, developed at the University Hospital Onofre Lopes (HUOL), located in Natal/RN. The population was composed of eleven assisting nurses engaged the precentorship of undergraduate course students in nursing, from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN). For the empirical research, conducted in the period from September to November 2013, the semi-structured interview involving questions directed to the stage was used, as advocate the national curriculum guidelines, as regards this curricular component. With the consent of the institution where the study has been developed and approved by the Research Ethics Committee of UFRN, as n° 17800613.9.0000.5537, besides CAAE signing an informed consent by participants. The analysis of the information was held from the analysis of content, thematic mode. Thereby four categories were defined a priori, namely: the supervised internship in the vision of nurses; To be preceptor; The internship concerned: contributions and difficulties; Do the institutional actors communicate? The results indicate that in the view of the supervised internship preceptors is a sine qua non for the training of nurses, considering that it prepares for professional life. Besides being a moment conducive to the exercise of management and a greater rapprochement between theory and practice, stimulates the preceptor to upgrade to better exercise the function and also provides an exchange of knowledge between students and tutors, thus contributing to optimize the service. Nevertheless, the respondents indicate the existence of a distancing and little communication with the academic institution. In summary, it is realized that the nurses understand the importance of its function of tutors and supervised stage for vocational training. It is necessary, however, to reflect on the paths to be pinched in the confrontation of difficulties in this process, especially as regards the teaching/service relationship, which, while remaining at a distance, strengthens the existing dichotomy between theory and practice

Clima e cultura de segurança do paciente em uma maternidade escola: percepção dos profissionais de enfermagem em terapia intensiva

Since the publication of the report "To Err is Human" by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) , which estimated that between 44.000 to 98.000 Americans die annually as a result of errors in health care, patient safety spent gaining prominence, emerging studies assess the safety culture by measuring the safety climate. In this context, the aim of this study was to identify safety culture perceived by nursing professionals working in the intensive care unit of a maternity school in Natal/RN through the Security Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ). This was a descriptive study, cross-sectional and quantitative approach undertaken in the Intensive Care Unit Maternal and Neonatal a maternity school in Natal/RN. The project was submitted to and approved by Brazil Platform Zip/UFRN under number 309 540 and CAAE 16489713.7.0000.5537. It was used to collect data two instruments: a questionnaire in order to collect socio-demographic data of the subjects and the Questionário Atitudes de Segurança , a cultural adaptation to Portuguese of the instrument of the World Health Organization titled Safety Attitudes Questionnaire - (SAQ ) Short Form 2006. The collected data were analyzed quantitatively by the organization in electronic databases in Microsoft Excel 2010 spreadsheet and exported to statistical software for free access to be coded, tabulated and analyzed using descriptive statistics. The study included a total of 50 nurses, 31 and 19 of the NICU Maternal ICU, predominantly female, mean age 35 years, median time of 10 years training and working in maternity, mostly, less than 05 anos. As a result, two articles were produced. The first refers to the first two domains of the instrument entitled "climate of teamwork" and "climate security" . The scores of the two areas were slightly higher in Maternal ICU compared to the NICU, but no sector has reached the ideal minimum score of 75: in the first domain Maternal ICU had an average of 74.77, with medians of 75 and 100, while Neonatal ICU reached an average of 69.61 with median also 75 and 100, while the second field means were 69.35 and 66.01 for Maternal and Neonatal ICUs respectively, with a median of 100 in the two sectors. The second article relates to the field "Perception Management Unit and Hospital", which 9 assessed the perception of management units and motherhood by professionals. In general, the items of the domain in question also obtained scores below the ideal minimum: 63.68 to 51.02 and maternal ICU for neonatal, featuring a clear separation between the management and the professionals who work in direct care. These findings indicate a warning sign for the institution and point to the need to implement actions aimed at patient safety

Análise da adesão ao tratamento e da qualidade de vida de pessoas com úlcera venosa

The therapeutic adherence is still a big problem among people with venous ulcers (VU) because the treatment is long, expensive and demand changes in lifestyle. In this context, this study aims to examine treatment adherence and quality of life (QOL) of people with VU assisted at primary health care. This is an analytical, cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach to treatment and data analysis. The study had the scenario 13 Family Health Units and 02 Units Mixed of Natal. The target population consisted of 44 persons with UV indicated by the teams of the Family Health Strategy between February and April 2014. Three instruments were used: an instrument to characterize the sociodemographic, health and care aspects, the Multidimensional Scale of Adherence Therapy composed of the dimensions: healthy lifestyle, compressive therapy and neurovascular monitoring and the Charing Cross Venous Ulcer Questionnaire (CCVUQ) that evaluates QOL in persons with VU composed by the domains: Total Score, Social Interaction, Domestic Activities, Aesthetics and Emotional State. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee in Research of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, CAAE: 07556312.0.0000.5537. The data concerning the sociodemographic characteristics showed that there was a predominance of females (65.9%), age range as of 60 years (59.1%) and income of up to 1 minimum wage (81.8%). With the characterization of health, it was evident that most people reported chronic diseases (63.6%), sleep more than 6 hours (81.8%), present pain (81.8%), denying alcoholism (86 4%) and smoking (77.3%) and showed a number greater than or equal to 1 (77.3%) recurrences. Concerning the therapeutic adherence was found that in the dimension compressive therapy there poor adherence. No associations between the domains of adherence and sociodemographic and health variables were found. Was observed, however, better adherence among individuals without pain and with higher schooling. When analyzed the averages of the dimensions of therapeutic adherence with the care characteristics there was statistical significance between: adherence to compression therapy and guidance for use of compressive therapy (p = 0.002) and guidance for regular exercise (p = 0.026). Considering the mean of total score of CCVUQ (mean 51.47, SD 18.33) it is observed that the overall QOL of respondents has approximate value of the median of the scale (50). The mean of the domain Social Interaction (mean 44.23, SD 21.38) and Domestic Activities (mean 45.70, SD 23.21) were those who reported better QOL. There were weak correlations but significant between adherence to healthy lifestyle and Domains Total Score (p = 0.012), social interaction (p-value = 0.048), Aesthetics (p-value = 0.025) and Emotional State (0.017) of CCVUQ. From the data analysis it is concluded that among people with UV, there poor adherence to compressive therapy. Furthermore, we found no statistically significant association between treatment adherence and sociodemographic and health characteristics. It is added that there was a correlation between the healthy lifestyle dimension and domains CCVUQ

O cidadão técnico em enfermagem :analisando as mudanças na sua profissionalização

The study analyzes the changes occurring in the professional qualification of the Nursing Technician in the Natal School of Nursing. It provides a historical discussion of Brazilian professional education, of the pertinent legislation in this type of teaching, and the repercussions related to the institutionalization of the Educational Directives Law. It interprets the discourse of the graduates of the complementary course of nursing auxiliary to nursing technician, for the year 2002, using the collective subject analysis and individual interviews. These revealed changes in the areas of knowledge-learning, knowledge-doing, knowledge-being, and an awakening to other changes besides the challenges being confronted. In this sense, nursing as a participant in a society that is effervescent with process changes, interacts socially, politically and professionally in this context, able to experience advances and retrogrades, depending on its political competency

Saberes de enfermeiros acerca do processo de enfermagem à luz do modelo conceitual de Wanda de Aguiar Horta

Objetivou-se caracterizar os saberes de enfermeiros sobre o Processo de Enfermagem. Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo qualitativo de natureza exploratório-descritivo, efetivado nos meses de agosto de 2010 a junho de 2011 com 12 enfermeiros atuantes da Estratégia de Saúde da Família da cidade de Juazeiro do Norte-Ceará. Aplicou-se uma entrevista através de um roteiro semiestruturado após a assinatura do termo de anuência pelos participantes. Resultados: Os enfermeiros percebem o Processo de Enfermagem como uma ferramenta tecnológica que permite a oferta de uma assistência de enfermagem sistemática, racional e planejada, tendo em vista o reconhecimento e atendimento das necessidades humanas básicas do ser cuidado. Conclusão: Portanto, os enfermeiros detêm uma convicção clara acerca da significação do Processo de Enfermagem e sua capacidade de satisfazer as demandas de cuidado do indivíduo, família e comunidade

Vivências de familiares do paciente internado em unidade de terapia intensiva: estudo fenomenológico

This study originated from my concerns as critical care nurse, regarding the lived experience of the family member of the patient that is hospitalized in the intensive care unit - ICU. The purpose of the study was to comprehend the experience of the family members while having a loved one interned in an ICU, and to identify the common elements of the phenomenon, based on the descriptions of their experiences. Considering that the object of study involves subjective and social questions, the study was conducted using some fundamental ideas of descriptive phenomenology as a referential and the situated phenomenon as suggested by Martins and Bicudo (1989). Ten (10) family members of patients that were interned in the ICU of private hospital in Natal, RN were interviewed using the following leading question: What is it like to have a member of your family interned in the ICU? Five thematic structural categories emerged from the comprehensive analysis of the interviews: Fear of the family member s death; Lack of humanization; Social isolation; Confidence in the ICU; and Overload to the personal life. The description of the phenomenon enabled a new look at how the care team relates to the family members of the patients interned in the ICU, providing some guidance on how to construct a humanized care that involves the family and that is based on affective human relations. This involves a rethinking of the care provided by team to the family and stimulates the reformulation of personal and social attitudes, and of hospital organizational norms

Avaliação da qualidade da assistência aos portadores de úlceras venosas atendidos no ambulatório de um hospital universitário em Natal/RN

Study descriptive that was designed to assess the quality of care for people with venous ulcers (VUs) tended at the ambulatory of a university hospital in Natal / RN. The target population of the study was composed by 40 users bearers of venous ulcers served in the ambulatory of angiology of a university hospital in the level of tertiary education. The study received assent of the Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (Protocol No. 169/06). The collect of data was performed using a form of interview and tour with collection of measures biophysiologic, for a team comprised by the researchers and an academic of nursing, in the period of three months. The data were analyzed in SPSS 14.0, using descriptive statistics and presented in the form of charts, tables and graphs. Identified a clientele of holders of VUs predominantly female, married, aged up to 59 years, low level of education and household income, from Natal, retirees or those exercising professions and occupations that require long periods standing or sitting. In relation to the characteristics of health, those surveyed had risk factors for venous disease and had UVs chronic, located in Zone 2, lost tissue in grade II and serous exudates on average quantity. The assistance to holders of UVs has been characterized by a lack of professional nurses and unavailability of products for the realization of the right curative in ambulatory and outside it; by the inadequacy of products used in VUs, for long periods of treatment without resolution, where the compressive therapy is not priority, by the lack of completeness in the levels of assistance; by monitoring the bearer of UVs only by doctors and the nurses, even with the other team of professionals in the health service; by the completion of guidelines by health professionals and the lack the standardization of conducting laboratory and specifics tests. The assistance was assessed as inadequate in aspects: reference and counter-reference (75.0%), number of consultations with angiologists last year (87.5%), documentation of the clinical findings (85.0%), use of compressive therapy in the past 30 days (77.5%), part of the team interdisciplinary (97.5%), completion of laboratory and specifics tests in the last year (100%), availability of products used in achieving the curative in ambulatory (80, 0%), and indication of products used in the conduct of dressing outside the clinic (70.0%) and appropriate in the guidelines made on the use of socks, lifting of the members and prescription of exercises regular (82.5%) and indication products used in achieving the curative in ambulatory (97.5%). We conclude that the assistance provided to holders of UV was inadequate in 80% of cases interviewed, becoming non-resolutive and assistematic

Vivência do homem no puerpério

After the birth of a child, during the post-partum period, the exercise of fatherhood, the sexual relationships either marital or sexual as well as the definition of the male role are all aspects that can change. These changes are guarded and can contribute to strengthen the familiar bond or deprive it. Thus, this study aims to understand the male experience during the partner s puerperal period. In this period, the male interacts and participates according to his understanding of the post-partum period. The male experiences different situations with his partner, family and social environment. This research is descriptive-exploratory and has a qualitative approach. It was developed with 15 men that live with their live with their partners during the puerperal period. The data was collected through a semi-structured interview. These data was treated according to content analysis proposed by Bardin. These were analyzed through Symbolic Interacionism according to Blumer. Thus, three themes emergedshares of care in the home environment, meanings attributed to the puerperium, emotions emerged during the post-partum - the seven subcategories-taking care of the wife and child, supporting the family, moment to rest, fulfillment through fatherhood, sense of joy, feeling of concern and sense of exclusion. It was seen that the subjects experience post-partum mainly by taking care of their partner and child and providing support of the family. Besides the mentioned aspects, there was meaning attributed to the puerperal period, considering it a period of rest for the partner and above all, fatherhood. Thus, even understanding that it is excluded, the subjects expressed joy and worriness towards the child s future, related to the insecurity in which the country goes through in current conjuncture

Qualidade de vida na perspectiva de idosos institucionalizados no Município de Natal - RN

A descriptive and exploratory Study, quantitative in nature, with the aim to assess the Quality of Life (QL) of the elderly leaving in a Long Residence Institution (LRI) according to their own perception. It was conducted in six Public Institutions of Long Residence for Seniors, in the municipality of Natal - RN, in the period of July to August 2007. The data was collected using two structured interview forms: the first, containing questions about socio-demographic aspects and the second - the WHOQUOL-OLD, prepared by the World Health Organization to assess elderly s quality of life. The reference population was 266 old persons, and a random sample, of 43, being 28 women and 15 men, who account for 30%. The results indicated there is a predominance of older women (65.1%) and the average age is 76.6 years; the predominant religion is the Catholic - 44.2% and, 32.6% are unmarried without children. As for schooling and precedence, 41.9% are illiterate and 67.4% come from the rural area. The time of residency in the institution goes between 1 to 5 years for 69.8% of the elderly, 37.2% of them residing in the institution for not having another option. Most elderly informed using medicines. 51.3% said they are taking anti-hypertensive. As for the other aspects of QL: sensory aspects, autonomy, past, present and future activities, social participation, death and dying and intimacy, the WHOQOL-OLD, showed an average total score of 52.9% (scale of 0 to 100), with a tendency to neutrality, denoting that the elderly, in this study, evaluated their QL as neither satisfactory or unsatisfactory. Of all the facets of the instrument of QL, the sensory facet secured the highest average scores (68,1%), showing that the elderly are "happy" in the situation in which they find themselves, not showing significant disabilities. The facet of autonomy, which refers to the independence and the ability to make decisions on their own life, received the lowest average scores (40.7%), showing the dissatisfaction of the elderly on this aspect. The evaluation of the elderly on other facets were: social participation (48.2%); activities past, present and future (44.6%) and intimacy (50.6%), all perceived as neither unsatisfactory or satisfactory. On the item death and dying, the elderly people declared themselves satisfied, with average score of 65.5%. The analysis of the reliability of the WHOQOL-OLD by the Cronbach Alpha showed 0.57, considering the 24 items that cover the instrument, showing regular internal reliability of the instrument, in our reality. The result is probably due to differences between the regions south and east and the broader sociocultural diversity. We believe that the elderly in this study, tended to realize their QL as neutral, considering it as neither unsatisfactory or satisfactory, result likely related to the resignation with the destine, characterized, at the time, by the finitude of life, feeling very common among elderly, or perhaps, even for an accommodation, often accompanied by discouragement, present in the daily life of many of them

Vivendo o bem estar no desconhecido: experiência da mulher com a presença do acompanhante no processo de parto

The humanization of the birth process is a current health policy priority. Within that perspective, the presence of a partner during the birth is a benefit guaranteed by the Law 111008/05. The purpose of this study is to comprehend the woman s experience with the presence of a birth partner as a legal right. It is a qualitative descriptive study based on Symbolic Interactionism and conducted using the grounded theory methodology. Data were collected by semi-structured interviews conducted during August to December 2006, with women that had the presence of a partner during their birth experience and that were in the first 24 hours of puerperium. Data analysis resulted in the identification of the phenomena: FEELING GOOD, RECOGNIZING THE BOND WITH THE PARTNER, RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF THE EXPERIENCE and NOT KNOWING THE RIGHT. These enabled the identification of the central phenomenon LIVING THE WELL-BEING IN THE UNKNOWN. The study demonstrated that the birth experience with the presence of partner is a positive one, resulting in benefits such as tranquility, support, and assurance, which, in that context, signify well-being. However, the women do not visualize the experience as a right, therefore remaining alienated from their civic practice. The understanding of the experience was enabled by the conceptual construction obtained from the categories of the interactions between the women and their birth partners during the event. The explanation of the phenomenon LIVING THE WELL-BEING IN THE UNKNOWN reflects the theoretical structure obtained from the integration of the identified concepts. The study points out the need for health professionals to improve the information given to women during the birth process and to work the civic duties of the women in reproductive health

O acolhimento no ambulatório de um hospital universitário na visão de usuários

This present study of quantitative/qualitative approach, aims to analyze the outpatient care at the Hospital Universitário Onofre Lopes (HUOL), and, having as guide, the reception of the user. In this regard were invited and interviewed 20 users. Besides the interviews, conducted in a period of 45 days, in this same period of time was used a field diary for more significant notes of observations more significant. In the analysis, we drafted the socio-demographic profile of the group and identified their main complaints, problems and suggestions. For this, we have built graphics, tables and pictures, in addition to standing out their testimony, as a resource for better understanding of the subjective aspects. The theoretical reference consisted of documents from the Ministry of Health about the reception and humanization, and the studies of Merhy, Franco, Pinheiro, Matumoto, Mariotti, Teixeira, among others. The results show the ambulatory of HUOL as a privileged space and of credibility, where users commonly, find answers to their problems. However, these same users were unanimous in saying the difficulties they face in obtaining consultations, from the basic unit, until the hospital. Regarding the service, although they feel satisfied as for the assistance received, they list a series of problems, of structural relationship order: lack of visual signalling, information, wheelchairs, hygiene, in the waiting rooms that offer some comfort, besides the inattention of some professionals. In summary, in the study, undertaken now, we cannot say that there is in the reality studied, the reception, in its full meaning, but the HUOL as hospital-school, has all the potential to accomplish it

O processo de cuidar do enfermeiro em unidade de terapia intensiva: uma análise dos conhecimentos utilizados

Care has always been present in the history of humanity and in contemporary nursing it is considered to be a fundamental characteristic. In the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), care occurs within an environment that is known for its stressful factors, technological equipment, social isolation and discomfort. Whilst the reality of nursing practice in ICU demonstrates the lack of planned and systematized care, there is an indication that the professionals working in this setting utilize some type of knowledge. Based on that premise, in this study we aim to identify the knowledge that the nurses use in providing care in the ICU. We believe that the identification and characterization of this knowledge, and how it presents itself in practice, requires a reflective analysis process. Therefore, we utilized a qualitative perspective and Kim´s (1999) investigative methodology of reflective inquiry that is based on the precepts of Action Science proposed by Argyris et al. (1985). The study was conducted with 8 intensive care nurses of a public hospital. Data were collected by means of non-participative observation of the nursing care actions and a semi-structured interview conducted within the reflective mode that focused on the nurses practice in the ICU. The results enabled us no only to detect that the nurses utilized knowledge and patterns of knowledge acquired or constructed, but to identify them as: scientific, philosophic, religious, empirical, personal, ethical, and esthetic knowledge. The predominance of the scientific knowledge in the care process suggests that these nurses hold an acquired scientific substance that they utilize to provide specialized care directed toward critical treatment. The conception of this reality surpasses the theoretical limits, the techniques, and the known facts, and denotes the need for a reflective process in action to aide in the comprehension of the knowledge involved in the construction of excellent care

Avaliação da gravidade do trauma em condutores de motocicleta vítimas de acidentes de trânsito no Rio Grande do Norte

Descriptive exploratory study, prospective, with quantitative approach, performed on the Monsenhor Walfredo Gurgel Hospital Complex (MWGHC), in Natal/RN, aiming to identify injuries by body area and wound severity on drivers who suffered motorcycle accidents, evaluate the severity of injuries and trauma on these drivers and identify the existence of association between wound and trauma severity and some of the accident s characteristics. The population comprised 371 motorcycle drivers, with data collected between October and December 2007. We used as instruments the Abberviated Injury Scale (AIS), Injury Severity Score (ISS) and the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCE1). The results show that, concerning characterization, there was a predominance of the male gender (88.4%), aged between 18 and 24 years (39.90%), originating from the Natal metropolitan region (55.79%), with fundamental-level instruction (51.48%), catholic (75.78%), married (47.98%). 23.18% work on commerce-related activities and 75.20% have income of up to 2 minimum wages. As for the accident s characteristics, the predominant shift was the afternoon (46.36%), received up to one hour after the event (50.67%), transported by countryside ambulances colleagues and relatives (51.21%), 25.34% had the accident on Sunday; 53.91% suffered falls and vehicle rolls; among the collisions there was a predominance of the motorcycle-automoblie type (28.03%); 52,6% were licensed and among these 50.76% had up to one year of license; 65.50% declared not having suffered previous accidents; 65.77% declared waring helmets in the time of the accident; 57.41% said not to have used drugs, and among those who used, alcohol was the most consumed (98.10%). The lowest score evaluated by GCS1 (3 to 8) was linked to drivers who suffered accidents on Saturday (10.3%), those who were not wearing helmets (14.29%) and the victims of motorcycle-pedestrian/animal crashes (13.33%). The body areas most affected had AIS between 1 and 3 (95.76%) and were: external surface (39.90%) and head/neck (33.20%). As for trauma severity, the highest scores (ISS>25) belonged to those who consumed alcohol (30.73%), suffered falls or vehicle rolls (48.9%) and those attended to 3 hours or longer after the accident (50%). We conclude that for motorcycle drivers who suffered accidents, age, gender, weekday, type of accident, use of drugs and the absence of helmet use signal both to the risk of occurrence of these events, as well as for the greater severity of injuries and trauma.

Úlcera de pressão em pacientes internados em um hospital universitário em Natal/RN: condições predisponentes e fatores de risco

The pressure ulcers (PU), also known as decubitus ulcers, are defined as injuries caused by the constant pressure exerted on a particular point of the body, causing impairment of blood supply with a decrease or interruption of tissue irrigation, causing occlusion of blood vessels and capillaries, ischemia and cell death. This is a descriptive study with longitudinal design, and panel type, with quantitative approach that aimed to examine the association between predisposing conditions (PC), intrinsic factors (IF) and extrinsic factors (EF) with the occurrence of PU, in hospitalized patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), pain clinical, surgical clinical and neurology wards of a university hospital. The study population was composed of all patients who were restricted to bed during the period from December 2007 to February 2008. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of HUOL / UFRN (No 135/07). The data-collection took place through a structured formulary of observation, data from medical records and physical examination of patients skins. The results were organized in SPSS 15.0 software, tabulated, categorized and analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics. Of the 30 patients studied, 43.3% had been hospitalized in the pain clinical and surgical clinic wards, 20.0% in the ICU, 20.0% in the ICU / ward and 16.7% in neurology, being the length of hospitalization in those units of 7 to 18 days (63.3%) and from 19 to 30 days (36.7%), predominantly female and aged ≥ 60 years (60.0%). 19 PU were diagnosed in 43.3% of patients monitored, being 38.5% with one PU between 7 to 18 days and 46.2% with two or more between 19 to 30 days of hospitalization, showing significant relationship (ρ-value = 0029) between length of hospital stay and the number of PU. Was found an association of 35.7% of the PC (cardio-respiratory, hematological, metabolic and psychogenic), IF (age group, oedema, skin changes in humidity and change of body temperature) and EF (type of mattress and strength of body pressure) for all patients studied, statistically significant (ρ-value = 0001), between the average scores in patients with and without PU, with reason chance to 12.0 for the development of PU and there was moderate correlation ( r = 0618) in the presence of this association. Results show the influence of the multiplicity of factors and conditions on the occurrence of PU, which brings us to reflect on the assistance focused on prevention and reduction of these injuries which will encourage the reduction of hospitalization length, physical and psychological suffering, and the possibility of improving the clinical condition of the patient.

Gritos de silêncio: na voz dos familiares cuidadores de portadores da doença de Alzheimer

This work is an investigation related to issues of those who take home care of people who suffer from Alzheimer disease (AD). Thus, it is justified by the need to acknowledge how these relatives perform this task and in which ways they do this. The study has is analytical and qualitative methodology with the use of a thematic oral history approach. The subjects of the research were nine relatives of those who suffer from AD that participate in the home care group in the Candelária neighborhood in the city of Natal in Rio Grande do Norte-Brazil. The data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire and interview that was booked in advance and had full support from the care takers. After information collection, three thematic axles were defined. After this procedure, three analisys subcategories were also defined. The first thematic axle emphasizes the so called movement of rite of passage, when the relative becomes a care taker of a person with AD. The second category deals with the care takers strategies, either related to their own behalf or on their relative. It is possible to infer that amongst other forms of help, the care taker needs to rely on a support network, such as health services, groups composed by multiprofessionals that enable better articulation between family and collaborators. The dimension related to faith and spirituality was also observed and pointed out as an important aspect in the emotional support process for these relatives. In the third axle the perspectives of struggle, conquests of the right to health and life quality of those who suffer from AD as well as their relatives was observed. These also deal with dreams and hope