This is a descriptive and explorative study with a quantitative approach aimed at identifying the meaning of 'being old' according to 50 health-care workers responsible for direct nursing care to elderly residents in nursing homes. Data was obtained by means of the Portuguese version of the 'Semantic Differential Scale' validated in Brazil. Subjects were predominantly nursing assistants and 'general services' workers. The majority of them conferred to the elderly the adjectives beautiful, tender, sweet, wise, interesting, with sense of opportunity, humble and resigned. The attributes destructive, insecure, critic and intrusive were also cited. Most subjects selected adjectives that, in spite of being positive, are also related with docility and passivity.4157-64