Background:

prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer in men. However, many men who develop prostate cancer never have symptoms, nor they undergo therapy. Several factors, including genetics and diet, have been implicated in its development; the known primary prevention modalities are insufficient to eliminate the risk of contracting the disease.

Objective:

to propose a self-care strategy in the elderly with prostate cancer in the community.

Methods:

intervention and development study in the Polyclinic Center of the Municipality and Province of Sancti Spíritus, from 2016 to 2017. Study variables were level of knowledge of physicians, self-care, health status, survival. Structured interview was used to elderly people with prostate cancer in the community to know the improvement of health status, after applying the strategy population proportions were compared by McNemar test.

Results:

significant changes were achieved in the level of knowledge of physicians, at the end of the training program it was obtained a 56.52 % which shows an acceptable level. 61,53 % of the health status of the elderly was good; self-care was reached in an acceptable manner in 63.46 %. The survival with more than ten years after applying the strategy was 67.30 %.

Conclusions:

the self-care strategy was achieved in older adults with prostate cancer, which includes actions and activities that favor the achievement of significant changes in self-care.

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