Envelhecimento e morte: Percepção de idosas de um grupo de convivência

Abstract

Aging is a stage of life which, according to an individual's experiences, starts with a decline in his/her functioning. The elderly see their possibilities reducing and the likelihood of their death increasing. Considering such aspects, the aim of this study was to understand the perception of seven elderly women participating in a social group from the Região das Hortênsias, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, about aging and death. Data was collected through the focus group technique, with a pre-established script, and data was analyzed by means of Bardin's methodology (2010), generating five thematic categories and fifteen thematic subcategories. Results show the inclusion of these women in the social group as something positive, allowing the expansion of their friendship circles and giving them more energy to perform activities. Their perception about this stage included a feeling of freedom (time to go out, to be with their families), pleasure in discovering new activities, ambivalence and presence of denial related to aging. It was also observed that they have a concern about their health and hold on to religiosity, which appears as an important resource for them to face this stage. With regard to their perception of death, although denial is present, they are also aware of the possibility of it happening, which is seen as something natural, but mysterious. A desire to travel, take care of their families and work is part of these elderly women's plans. We expect that this study promotes reflections, contributing to breaking taboos surrounding the matters of aging and death and, therefore, improving their quality of life at this stage.