Objective

:To seek an understanding of how frail elderly persons construct resilience.

Method:

The “signs, meanings and actions” model was used. The population was randomly selected among elderly persons classified as robust or pre-frail in the FIBRA-study, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Thirteen elderly persons (aged 69 to 86) were interviewed.

Results:

a) the construction of bonds - a healthy relationship with spouses, sons, daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren brings meaning to and sustains life and contributes to its organization; b) the reinvention of oneself - when suffering trauma, elderly people seek paths that can give sense to life, even if difficult memories persist; c) religiosity: catholic, evangelical or spiritualist experiences strengthen; cures, protections and so-called miracles are valued, and the religious community represents a space for belonging.

Conclusion:

Resilience is constructed through the bonds between the elderly person and those close to them, and in the search for solutions, including through the religious experience.

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