Abstract

FERNANDEZ, Alba Rosa  and  MANRIQUE-ABRIL, Fred Gustavo. Self-care agency and basic conditioning factors in the elderly. av.enferm. [online]. 2011, vol.29, n.1, pp.30-41. ISSN 0121-4500.

Self-care agency is the capacity of an individual to take care of him/ herself; elements of the individual or the environment he/she lives in may have influence, these are called basic conditioning factors. Purpose: To determine the self-care agency and basic conditioning factors in old patients with hypertension in Tunja, Boyacá, Colombia. Methods: Descriptive cross section study with 240 senior patients carried out in July 2009. ASA scale was used to assess self-care agency and the social-demographic and health data card (DSDS). Data were analyzed in SPSS, version 15.0. Results: The total ASA mean of seniors was 46,8, standard deviation of 4,6; 99,6% showed "low self-care agency", within a range of 24 to 59 points. Average age was 71,6, standard deviation of 6,7; 48,8% were located within an age range of 60-70 years; 76,7% were women; 49,2% with no school education; 42,5% widowed; 70,4% housewives; 53,3% corresponded to social strata 1; 73,8% lived with their families. 21,7% were affiliated to Caprecom. 23,8% had kidney problems; 71,3% reported visual deficiencies; 78,3% presented normal average blood pressure and 84,2% normal heart beat. 72% of females were within an risky abdominal diameter range (higher than 80 cm). Conclusion: Seniors showed low self-care agency and basic conditioning factors deserving nursing care.

Keywords : aged; self care; nursing; chronic disease; hypertension.

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