El vínculo especial de cuidado: construcción de una teoría fundamentada

taking care of a person that suffers a chronic disease is increasingly more usual today. this affects the day-to-day life of many families who realize how their living pace, personal relationships and family roles change altogether. in most cases, when one member of the family assumes the role of main caregiver, he/she has the opportunity of creating a "special bond" of care with the person taken care of. the special bond of care between this dyad formed by the caregiver and the disabled or ill person is a new, different and meaningful partnership. objective: understand the meaning of care for the dyad family caregiver - chronically ill person. method: a grounded theory was devised based on 10 dyads made up by twenty participants residing in bogotá. results: the theory intends to transcend on the 'special bond' of care: this step from evident to intangible was created as a result of the study with three variables: the limitation and need of help, going from challenge or commitment to achievement and the way of transcending on this "special bond". discussion: theory is analyzed in the light of human bondage theories, meaning of life, self-transcendence, and development of the concept of care. conclusions: these dyads perceive themselves as moving across an axes leading to situations of lower physical functionality that demand instrumental responses of care, and simultaneously, a "special bond" emerges through projection and transcendence venues that reshape experience, thus, going from the evident to the intangible.