為瞭解自費安養機構老人健康維護的需求是什麼，以便能提供真正合適的護理。本研究自四所自費安養機構 1333 位合乎選樣標準的老人中隨機抽出 150 位， 以問卷進行面對面訪談，完成訪談者共 142 位。所得資料分析結果如下：１．本研究老人認為所謂健康是：沒有病痛、心情愉快、行動自如、能自我照顧... 等，其中特別強調身體（ 54.2 ％）和心理（ 51.4 ％）的功能狀態。 在健康行為（ healthbehavior ）方面， 老人認為維護健康必須要注意飲食（ 50 ％）、保持活動（ 46.5 ％）、維持規律生活（ 31.7 ％）... 等。２．健康維護項目中老人「最需要」的是：（１）維持心情愉快（２）預防意外傷害（３）有醫療保險（４）有穩定的經濟來源（５）尊重自己，被人尊重。３．影響健康維護需求程度的因素中，最具影響力的變項為：（１）健康維護滿足程度（２）健康知覺（３）進住主因（４）社經階層（５）有無保險等。 從這些因素來看， 可用Maslow 的需要理論及 Deway 等的動機理論來說明自費安養機械老人在健康維護需求上的重要機制。４．自費安養機構的功能，主要在提供一個隱私的領域、開放的環境，並增加了老人活動的機會和人際互動的範圍，在飲食方面亦發揮了重要的功能；但未能滿足老人自尊及情緒上的需求。

　　　　　The purpose of this study was to understand the demands of the elderlyin self-paid residential care homes in order to provide them with qualitynursing care.A sample of 150 elderly persons was drawn by random sampling from 1333institutionalized elderly for this study. Subjects were interviewed with astructured questionnaire. The analysis was based on data collected from 142completed interviews. The elderly defined health as not being sick, having ajoyful mind, being able to move around, and being able to perform self-care.Physical function (54.2%) and psychological status (51.4%) were especiallyemphasized. The elderly considered the following behaviors as necessary for themto maintain health:good dietary habits (50%), ability to move around on theirown (46.5%), and keeping a regular life style (31.7%). The most demanding healthmaintenacnce items were keeping a joyful mind, preventing accidents, havingmedical insurance, having stable economic resources, respecting oneself andbeing respected by others. The most influential factors of health maintenancedemands were degree of satisfaction with health maintenance, health perception,reasons for residing in the institutions, social-economic status, and whetherone has insurance or not. Maslow's self-fulfillment theory and Deway'smotivation theory could explain the important mechanism of health maintenancedemands of the institutionalized elderly. Residential care homes provided theelderly with privacy and an open environment to develop social life. Theseinstitutions also played an important role in providing the elderly with aproper diet, but somehow selfrespect and emotional demands were not fulfilled.