As the popuation over the age of 60 increases, the demand of nurses who care for this age group also continues to grow, so nurses must be interested in gerontological nursing in korea. This thesis was carried out to identify effective self-care agency in elderly patients by rescarching the corrolation between selt esteem and self-care agency. therefore, this study was designed to identify the extent of self eseem and self care agency of the eldery and thus contribute to gerontological nusing interventions that maintain and promote life quality of elderly by helping them adapt themselves to their life and promote their health. The population of this study were 167 persons over the age of 60 years and date were collected from March 7th to April 6th, 1998 by using 60 iteems questionnaire method. The instument used for measuring self esteem was Rosenberg's Self-esteem Scale, and that for self-care agency was Kearnry, B. Y & Fleisher, B. J. 's Self-care Agency Scale. The reliability of the two instruments were tested by Cronbach's alpha, and showed that those were 0.6250 and 0.9020, each. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, L test, ANOVA, Scheffe multiple analysis and Person's Corrrelation Coefficient using the spss computer program. The results of this study were as follows: 1. The mean score of the self-esteem was 24. 76(SD+5.83), that of self care agency was 79. 57(SD+15.53) and maximum scores were 43 and 120, respectively. 2. Statistically significant factors influencing the self- esteem among sociodemographic variables were education (F-3.47, P<0.01), pocket money (F-3.96, P<0.00) health (F-2.57, P<0.05), and smoking (F-2.57, P<0.05) by Scheffe multipe analysis when it comes to pocket money, for one, this survy showed that the moree the self-esteem is. and as for health, for another, it revealed that 'The group of the healthy' seemed to be move satisfied than the less healthy. Statistically significant factors affecting the self-care agency among sociodemographic variables were education(F-2.26, P<0.03), housing (F-2 65, P<0.02), etc. By Scheffe's analysis as to education, it has been fiund that in self care agency the illiterate is on a higher level than the high school educated. 3. There was moderate significant correlation between self care agency(r. 465 P<0.01). In conclusion, sinsce the self-care angeny has much to do with their self-esteem, education, and finance, it must be considered in nusing interventions to improve the elderly patient's health maintenance.