Older people perceived health as going and doing something meaningful.

Methods Semistructured interviews lasted approximately 45 minutes and took place in participants’ homes or in healthcare facilities. Questions targeted perceptions of health; wellbeing; valued abilities, activities, and relationships; social support; control; sense of coherence; and personal outlook. Analysis of the interviews employed grounded theory type immersion into the material. This process led to the identification of a central phenomenon and the relation of other factors with it.