ABSTRACT
Objective:
discover the meaning of palliative care for the elderly for the nursing team and identify how the family interacts with the elderly at the intensive care unit.
Method:
descriptive research developed at the intensive care unit of a public hospital in Fortaleza-Ceará-Brazil. The sample consisted of 58 professionals from the nursing team. The data were collected in the second semester of 2015 by means of a semistructured and recorded interview.
Results:
the results appointed three thematic categories: palliative care, particularly the relief of pain and suffering; interaction between relative and elderly; in which communication stood out as the most important; and inappropriate environment for palliative care, emphasizing orientation for care.
Conclusion:
the team has knowledge on palliative care and acknowledges the family as a link between professional and elderly. In addition, intensive care is not considered an appropriate environment for palliative care.
DESCRIPTORS:
Aged; Nursing; Palliative care; Family; Critical care