The perception of aging by elderly people from a community center

Abstract

This is a piece of exploratory research with the objective of studying the perception of aging as perceived by elderly people at a community center, in the city of Goiânia. Ten elderly people were interviewed, age ranging from 60 to 87 years old, of which two were male and 8, female. Using thematic analysis, we were able to identify four categories: phenomena perceived in the body as signs of the ageing process, interpersonal relations in old age, briefness of life and self-achievement. For the subjects of the study, aging is lived with conflicting way, in which negative and positive aspects are recognized and mechanisms of adaptation are sought.