The study aimed to identify strategies used by family caregivers for chronic patients in home care. It is a qualitative study involving 15 caregivers developed in the Home Care Service of a public hospital in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. In order to produce data, a Creative-Sensitive Method, Body-Knowledge dynamics, and Almanac have been applied. The following topics were conveyed: playful expression in giving care; love, tenderness, and patience as expressions of care; spirituality as an element of care; concern with the environment; and the importance of social support networks. The results show that caregivers perform unique care directed to specific patient needs; relating to the story of life and to the social and cultural context in which it is inserted. Therefore, home is regarded as a privileged space for humanized care.
Nursing; Home nursing; Chronic disease