The present paper proposes to describe the social representations of a group of elderly family caretakers about nursing homes. The universe of the research encompassed 17 elderly family caretakers within the catchment area of the Centro de Saúde Escola Geraldo Paula Souza of the School of Public Health -USP participants of the Capacidade Project (Program Elderly Home Care, grounded on a Functional Incapability and Dependence Surveillance System). Qualitative methodology was used and the Collective Subject Discourse was the methodological strategy for interview analysis (CSD). The representations drawn from the discourse were: the family provides better care once it prevents the elderly from being depressed, the family resorts to institutionalization when lacking a member to look after the elderly and when he is especially dependent and in need of special care. The institutionalization is seen as malignant for it would lead to the death of the elderly, not being accepted by either the elderly or the caretaker. For many of the caretakers, institutionalization is rejected but for others, it represents a possibility in case the care cannot be provided for some reason.
Family Caretaker; Elderly; Family; Nursing Home
