Family in the experience of multiprofessional team care for elderly residents of a Therapeutic Residential Service

OBJECTIVE: To understand the implications of the family in the experience of care provided by the multiprofessional team to elderly residents of Therapeutic Residential Services. METHOD: Qualitative research based on social phenomenology. Phenomenological interviews were conducted with 15 professionals from multiprofessional teams of Therapeutic Residential Services in a municipality in São Paulo state. RESULTS: Experiences in caring for the elderly in Therapeutic Residential Services and their implications for families characterized the "reasons why" in the category "The family in the experience of multiprofessional teams caring for elderly residents of Therapeutic Residential Services." These deinstitutionalization devices value living, where residents can strengthen family ties and establish new relationships. Future motivation is described in the category "Intentions of the multiprofessional team towards the family in the care experience." CONCLUSION: Deinstitutionalization enables elderly residents to rebuild emotional bonds, with the team assuming the role of emotional reference in the biographical journey of their life world. The expectation of articulating care with the presence of family members aims to improve the experiences of elderly residents.