Self-care Among Makassarese Older Persons, Indonesia: a Descriptive Study

Self-care is the activity that individuals initiate and perform in order to maintain their own life, health and well-being. Humans are both capable and willing to perform self-care activities. Nevertheless, capacity for meeting self-care needs may be modified by aging. Therefore, there might be a time when the older persons cannot perform self-care independently. Related with the self-care deficit theory of Orem, when the older person cannot meet their self-care demands, nursing is needed. But in any system where the nurse exists, the care should be designed based on self-care needs and abilities of the older person concerned. The description of older person?s experience, in terms of Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) on self-care and maintaining health will be used to determine nursing needs of older persons for health promotion and self-care. This book supply evidence-based nursing information and practice with regards to provision of self-care and nursing need to older persons of Makassarese tribe, a major tribe in Eastern part of Indonesia.