This objective article reveals and thus improves comprehension concerning elderly life after the death of a friend from the elderly care center. Using a qualitative approach, oral history was used as the guiding theoretical support and interviews and indirect participatory observation were used as techniques for data collection. The period of collection was from April to June of 2003 in a geriatric residence in the city of the Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. The 15 elderly residents were interviewed. The analysis utilized was that of thematic content. The results disclosed that elderly life passed through deep alterations imposed by the process of struggle and typical non-complicated fighting characteristics emerged: feelings, physical sensations, cognitions, and behaviors. This study concludes that the elderly need attention and accompaniment from the professionals who work in the geriatrical residences similar of these who win the struggle and continue living.
Death; Friends; Aging health