According to Orem, active participation in caring for self contributes to the behavior of self-care. Before an individual is able to care for oneself, however, many factors must be considered. This article is based on an alert, oriented 85-year old widow, known as EL, who was recently diagnosed with rectal cancer. With postoperative hypertension and sinus tachycardia, EL is having difficulty learning self-care. This article demonstrates a scenario where Orem’s self-care deficit theory of nursing assisted in developing an effective plan of self-care for an elderly woman who underwent an ileostomy.
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