Abstract
The context of changes and adversities due to aging requires flexibility in adapting and adjusting to situations to allow a balanced and healthy development in old age. This study aimed to analyze the older adults’ understanding of the protective factors which promote resilience in response to the challenges of aging and elderhood. A total of 15 older adults (with ages of 63 to 81 years) participated in the focus groups, resulting in three categories of qualitative analysis: a) Social protection mechanisms; b) Personal resources; c) Adaptive processes for a successful old age. Social support, provided mainly by cohabitation groups, and the perception of positive family interactions, permeated by affection and reciprocity, were essential in maintaining the well-being of the older adults. The personal resources that express positive emotional, cognitive, and behavioral states and processes permeated the discourses on the well-aging. In addition, adapting to the changes that occur with the advancement of aging, the maturation, the acceptance, and the construction of a positive identity about old age denoted processes of resilience, based on the balance between losses and gains throughout the development. We conclude that coping with the adversities of aging linked to the enhancement and intensification of human qualities leads to resilient aging.
Keywords:
Aging; Aged; Resilience; Protection factors