Aim: To identify the fundamental long-term care needs of the elderly, with dependence on self-care. Materials and Methods: A search was carried out at the EBSCO (CINAHL, MEDLINE, British Nursing Index), Scielo, LILACS, Open Access Scientific Repository in Portugal and Repository of the National Continuous Care Network, using PCC method (Scoping Review). Retrospectively until 2010, from which 17 articles were extracted. Results: Functional, cognitive and emotional capacity emerge as variables of the competence for self-care. The competence for self-care is influenced by the sociodemographic characteristics and by several determinants: pressure ulcers, polypharmacy, falls and fractures, pain, nutritional status / hydration, respiration, recent hospitalization, behavioral change, depression and states of psychological imbalance, psychotropics, sphincter continence, catheterization / intubation, physical restraint / mechanical restraint, health literacy, infections and polypathology, which interact with each other. Conclusion: Fundamental care needs in a long-term context have different domains: physical, psychological, financial, supportive, educational and psychosocial. The identification of needs has the potential to contribute to the development of long-term care, with impact on planning, performance and quality of nursing intervention.
