The elderly and the realities of old age. With the intention of discovering what happens to people as they grow old an what they themselves think about aging, the authors interviewed a total of 93 old people. Of these, 55 lived in homes for the elderly and 38 Uved in the community. The results obtained demonstrate some of the relationships between old age and work, the family and health, showing that social factors influence aging and the life style of the aged.