The perception of the autonomous elderly towards their own ageing

Abstract

This study about The perception of the autonomous elderly towards their own ageing aims at analyzing how the autonomous elderly live their own process of ageing, reflecting on the gains and losses of their lives and ascertaining which strategies of coping and adaptation are created in order to answer the key question: What are the perceptions and experiences of the autonomous elderly towards their own ageing? The methodology to be used is of a qualitative nature, based on a semi-structured interview which is applied to four women and four men, thus being non-probability and purposive sampling. The content analysis of the results enables to conclude that the participants develop strategies of coping and self-defense to surpass constraints, relying on intrinsic factors, such as the continuity of daily-life activities and the valuation of their experience, as well as on extrinsic factors, namely satisfaction with their children’s welfare and the preservation and appreciation of social relations. Nonetheless, old age is perceived negatively, associated with chronological age, dependence, frailty and solitude, which generate disappointment and difficulties in dealing with ageing.