Self-Care Ability, Self-Compassion, and Nursing Approaches in Older Individuals
Chapter from the book:
Karakurt,
P.
&
Fırat,
M.
(eds.)
2025.
Current Approaches in The Field of Health.
Synopsis
Self-care is a fundamental concept encompassing the behaviors and attitudes necessary for individuals to maintain their health, preserve well-being, and perform daily living activities independently. Self-care agency refers to an individual’s capacity to plan, implement, and sustain these behaviors and is closely associated with quality of life. In older adults, age-related physiological, psychological, and social changes—such as chronic diseases, polypharmacy, sensory impairments, and increased dependency—may negatively affect self-care agency. Orem’s Self-Care Theory provides an important theoretical framework for understanding the universal, developmental, and health deviation–related self-care needs of older individuals. Self-compassion refers to an individual’s ability to respond to difficulties, failures, and painful experiences with understanding, nonjudgmental awareness, and self-support. Consisting of the components of self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness, self-compassion is associated with psychological well-being, life satisfaction, effective coping with stress, and positive attitudes toward aging. In later life, where health problems and losses increase, self-compassion emerges as an important protective factor that enhances psychological resilience. Nurses play a critical role in improving self-care agency and self-compassion among older adults through education, counseling, caregiving, and continuous assessment. Nursing interventions include supporting self-care behaviors, fostering self-compassion skills, ensuring a safe and supportive environment, and delivering holistic care through multidisciplinary collaboration.
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