A successful aging process is multidimensional and involves physical, cognitive, emotional and social factors. This exploratory and descriptive study investigated the perceptions of elderly men concerning limitations and gains related to the aging process and protective factors in old age. Thirteen men older than 60 years of age with varied levels of education participated in semi-structured interviews and their answers were submitted to qualitative analysis. Seven subcategories emerged from the thematic axis “results of aging”, with an emphasis on physical losses and personal gains favored by the accumulation of experiences. In the thematic axis “health in old age” four measures to improve health were categorized, with a predominance of answers related to the search of medical services and the adoption of a healthy lifestyle. The participants presented a biopsychosocial perspective of factors related to aging well though with an emphasis on biological variables.
aged; aging; gender; men; human development