Meaning of the participation in a support group for family member of dependent patients for the undergraduate nursing student

Abstract

The care of the debilitated patients and their relatives is a necessity. This study reports an experiment which aims at describe life experiences obtained from the participation in a support group for family members of dependent patients with neurological sequelae. Group activities; the role of the group in the rehabilitation process; the importance of family in such process; the preparation for discharge, and the meaning of this experiment for the nursing student are approached. When there is interaction of the relative in the care of the patient makes the patient calmer and safer during homecare, thus avoiding co-morbidity and readmission in the hospital. These processes contribute to a high quality professional training of the nursing student.