In the last two decades, problems associated with aging have caused increased public concern. As a result of recent research in the Federal Republic of Germany, the science of gerontology has revealed new information about the living conditions and living standards of the elderly. The image of older people is still a negative one and passing retirement age is widely regarded as being discarded from life. It is also assumed that older people's physical and mental health decline and they lose interest in their environment. However scientists, politicians, and social institutions have been successfully disproving these negative images. Aging is not synonymous with illness, helplessness, and a decline in physical and mental health. Instead, problems of older people are less physical than social. Leaving a meaningful career for the inactivity and isolation of retirement frequently leads to housing, sickness, social, and material problems. Further research is planned to discover how older people are coping with these problems in the Federal Republic of Germany. (APG)