The Theory: Summary

SISTER LETTY G. KUAN

“Graceful Aging”

The Theory of Sister Letty G. Kuan is about “Graceful Aging”. Her interest in old people initiated her to formulate a theory for the purpose of knowing the reasons and variables on how to make people happy at retirement by conceptualizing a framework:

Acquisition, Struggles and Legacy.

According to her, “Graceful Aging” is dependent on positive childhood acquisitions. It pertains to the quality of what you have acquired from the beginning. An acquisition that starts from the womb of the pregnant mother, the love and support of the father to his family reflects good acquisitions to the person.  This acquisition comprises how we acquired the manner of speaking, talking and attitudes. The kind of acquisition from education also plays a major role. She emphasized the importance of a good school for better education which develops perseverance and hard work in an individual and equips him or her when trials, crisis or life struggles come in. She said, “If you have a very happy and nice childhood, you will have a very fruitful aging, happy retirement and ultimately Legacy.”  She defined legacy as an act of giving, sharing, emblem of honesty and feeling of fulfillment and motivation.

Application to Nursing

The theory of Sister Letty G. Kuan stated that without positive acquisitions during childhood, the person (patient) will be “in a pathological state” to delinquency. Now, this is the challenge that nurses will face. The role of the nurse is to put back what they have missed during childhood and to fill this gap. Nurses need to let them acquire good things through setting an example and to make them feel loved and important. The role of the nurse is to become a therapeutic self and spiritual self by showing empathy and compassion.

She quoted this:

“The Longer you stay in life, the more you have acquired, the better you should be, the Legacy is given.”

Summarize by:

Jake Johnson Sy, RN