[Affection in elderly care from the nurses' perspective].

The objective of this study was to describe, from the nurses' perspective, the meaning of effective/affective care, the interference factors, and the learning promoted from dealing with elderly inpatients, as well as their perception of feeling ready or not to engage in caring. This qualitative study was performed with nurses from a hospital located in the Midwestern region of the State of São Paulo. The findings show that the meaning of providing effective/affective care involves knowing the client within his/her social framework, while it crosses the borders of sheer technical care and encompasses fulfilling the client's needs and requirements.