Self-care has recently come to be recognized as the predominant form of response
to illness among the general population, but little is known regarding beliefs and
practices of the aged. In this study, beliefs regarding the appropriate response to 53
common symptoms were investigated and contrasted to actual responses. Various
forms of self-care were seen as appropriate responses to symptoms ranging from
minor to potentially serious. Preference for self-care responses appears to be
related to perceived severity of symptoms and the perceived effectiveness of available self-care responses.
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