[Hospitalization and assessment of nursing care].

The purpose is to promote the reflection concerning the family role and the evidence of nursing practice, in hospital discharge of the elderly patient. In the settings where elderly patients prevail, the family must be valorised as a partner to guarantee the continuity of care when they return home. A communication strategy concerning what the meaning of being a nurse is and what she/he does, can contribute to unveil the role of nursing in the promotion of health and the quality of life of patients and their families.