Constituição do cuidador familiar a partir de fotografias: experiências para o cuidado de si

Aim: To know the ways of constitution of the family caretakers from photographs facing their experiences with homecare and the ways of the care of self. Method: qualitative study based on the post-structualist approach with seven caretakers of patients linked to a Primary Health Care unit with Family Health Strategy in a city from the south of Brazil, developed in the month of May 2017. Data production happened from developing open interviews, photographic record made by the participants with reflections from the captured images and field notes. Data were organized with the software Etnograph and, after reading the material with questions to direct problematization, the text was coded with foucaultian tools such as subjectivity, experience and the care of the self to construct the analysis. Results: the categories were: "subjectivation of the family caretaker in face of their experiences" and "practices of the care of the self for the family caretaker". Discussion: the caregiver becomes constituted when the experience of caring for the other begins. It acquires new roles and loses others, and may or may not have overload and deprivation. Among the practices of oneself that can direct the constitution of the caretaker from the self of the care, are the relations with family, friends and professionals, and cultivation of plants, walks, readings. Final consideration:  to know the constitution of the being a caretaker and his practices of the self, can assist on potencializing such practices among caretakers in a way of minimizing the overload.