RESUMO:O presente estudo identifica os arranjos familiares e descreve a rede de apoio familiar de idosos que vivem em uma área rural. Trata-se de um estudo transversal, realizado com 36 idosos, através de entrevistas no domicílio. Os resultados demonstraram um número maior de mulheres (80,6%) entre os idosos, com boas condições de moradia e renda. O arranjo familiar mais encontrado foi o tri geracional (50%), em que residem idosos, filhos e netos. Observou-se um processo de via dupla nas transferências informais entre idosos, chefes de família e outros familiares que residem com o idoso. Nas famílias em que o idoso não é o chefe familiar, os idosos recebem mais ajuda do que prestam, ocorrendo o inverso nas famílias em que o idoso é o chefe. Este estudo favorece o surgimento de ações para o idoso rural e suas famílias, que apresentam dificuldades de acesso aos serviços de saúde. DESCRITORES:Envelhecimento. População rural. Composição familiar. ARRANGEMENTS AND SUPPORT NETWORK FAMILY FOR ELDERLY LIVING IN A RURAL AREAABSTRACT: This study identifies different family arrangements and describes the family support network for elderly who live in the Brazilian countryside. This transverse study was accomplished with thirty-six elderly through domicile interviews. Study results show a greater number of women (80.6%) among the elderly living in good living conditions with good household income. The most common family arrangement found out was tri-generational (50%), in which these elderly, their children, and their grandchildren all live together. The study observed a two-way process in informal transfers among these elderly, heads of the family, and other relatives living with the elderly. In families where the elderly was not the head of the household, the son usually takes up this role. In these families, the elderly receive more assistance than they provide, with the opposite occurring in families in which the elderly are the head. These results point toward the need for implementing new care actions for the rural elderly and their families which present difficulty in accessing Brazilian health care services. DESCRIPTORS:Aging. Rural population. Family characteristics. ARREGLOS Y RED DE APOYO FAMILIAR DE ANCIANOS QUE VIVEN EN LA ZONA RURALRESUMEN: Este estudio identifica los diferentes arreglos de vivienda, describe la red de apoyo familiar de los ancianos que viven en una zona rural. Es un estudo transversal, realizado com 36 ancianos, a través de entrevistas em el hogar. Los resultados mostraron un mayor número de mujeres (80,6%) en adultos mayores, con buenas condiciones de vivienda y ingreso. La disposición de la familia más común fue trigenerational (50%), con domicilio en las personas mayores, hijos y nietos. Hubo un proceso de doble vía de las transferencias informales entre los jefes de hogar mayores y otros familiares que viven con las personas mayores. En las familias donde los ancianos no es el jefe de familia, los ancianos reciben más ayuda que ellos proporcionan, mientras que lo contrario ocurrió en las ...

Aim:To assess the knowledge about the disease and their self-care of patients with heart failure (IC) before and after monitoring nursing care at home. Method: A before and after experimental study was performed with patients who were hospitalized for IC decompensation. Two home visits (VD) were undertaken after hospital discharge by specialist nurses at an interval of 30 days. 14 question quiz testing knowledge of heart disease and self-care, validated for use in Brazil, was used. The educational intervention was based on guidelines about IC. It was considered that an appropriate level of knowledge existed in those patients who had at least 70% correct on the quiz. Results: 41 patients were included, 21 (51.2%) of whom were men. The whole group had an average age of 64 ± 13.7 years. The correct answer scores were 64% in VD1 and 70.9% in VD2 (P = 0.020). Discussion: Nursing interventions benefit patients by improving their knowledge. Conclusion: There was a significant improvement in terms of knowledge of heart disease and self-care after the homecare interventions.