This study was descriptive correlation study, tried to test the relationship among social support, powerlessness, and quality of life in the hospitalized elderly patient to develope basic data for nursing interventions. The subjects for this study were 120 patients over the age of 60 who admitted in one university hospital and one general hospital in Pohang, and one university hospital in Kyung Ju. These data were collected from September 27 to October 16 1998 by an interviewing using questionnaires. The instrument used for this study were indirectly perceived social support scale developed by Park Jee Won( 1985), A powerlessness behavioral assessment tool in the elderly by Miller (1992), and the level of quality of life by No You Ja( 1988). The data were analysed by frequency, mean, standard deviation, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient using the spss/pc+. The result of this study was as follows. 1. In level of social support, family support was the highest (M= 4.53), and support by friends or relatives support was the lowest(M=3.37). Type of support, emotional support was the highest in family support(M=4.67), and support by friends or relatives support (M=3.55), and informational support was the highest in medical staffs support (M = 4.07). 2. The mean score of powerlessness was 1.39, participant of study was highest(M=1.66), and emotional response was lowest(M=1.28) in subscales. 3. The mean score of qualty of life was 3.29, family relationship was the highest (M= 3.75), and economic life was the lowest(M= 3.05) in subscales. 4. The result of analysed that the relationship among social support, powerlessness, and quality of life, there was significant negative correlation only family support (-.23, p<0.05) in relationship between social support and powerlessness. There was positive correlation between family support(.46, p<0.01), friends or relatives support (.54, p<0.01), medical staff's support (.34, p<0.01) and quality of life in the relationship between social support and quality of life. There was negative correlation between powerlessness and quality of life (-.54, p<0.05). In conclusion develope nursing plans that consist of family support, friends or relatives support, and medical staff's support which can offered proper social support were needed for relieved powerlessness and increased quality of life in hospitalized elderly.