Cerebrovascular accident in the aged: changes in family relations.

The aims of this study were: to identify aged persons who were victims of Cerebrovascular Accident and received care at the Emergency Unit of a Public Hospital in Ribeirão Preto-SP, Brazil, and their respective families, as well as to identify the changes in family relations that occurred after the event. In order to identify these changes, the adapted Critical Incident Technique was used, while the analysis was based on the idea of Current of Thought. The sample consisted of 11 families, totaling 34 participants. The analysis of the consequences displayed the changes in family relations, which made up 13 subcategories, 5 of which were positive and 8 negative, totaling 58 alterations, 30 of which were positive and 28 negative. The study revealed the need to work with the family in order to identify changes and develop an action plan to favor the family's relations and adaptation to the demands, with a view to improving the living conditions of its members, including the aged person.