Modelos de envejecimiento y percepción de cambios en una muestra de personas mayores

Resum

This study examines the nature of the changes perceived by the elderly as being associated with aging. Two-hundred elderly people, aged sixty-five and over, were interviewed about the changes they perceived as defning this process. Our results showed that while biological changes were those most frequently mentioned, subjects' perceptions also included both psychological and social changes. Most of the changes, regardless of their type, referred to losses, while few subjects mentioned any gains. These results seem to suggest that aging is mainly perceived by the elderly as a process of decline.