Abstract
Given the general acceptance that the aging population is expecting to grow for the next few decades, it becomes vital to understand the meanings and factors contributing to mid life meaning and mortality. This study explores two aspects: the perspectives of third ager’s on quality of life and death. This qualitative study uses person-centered theory and an existentialist philosophical approach as a guiding paradigm. A snowball sampling method was utilized. Phenomenological content analysis using latent and manifest coding was applied to the interviews in order to identify themes. The subjects interviewed were ten Third Age adults currently residing in San Joaquin county. Four themes emerged: (1) sharedness; (2) commitment to living; (3) health; and (4) social tensions. Implications for social work practice and policy are discussed.