Introduction: Natural and healthy aging can undergo structural and functional changes and manifest itself as a natural human process. Objective: To know older adults’ perception of loss of functionality and autonomy caused by chronic diseases. Method: This is a qualitative study of 14 older people in an urban area covered by a Primary Health Care center in a municipality in Northeastern Brazil. Semi-structured interviews were held with the participants using open-ended questions to allow the free flow of their answers. They were transcribed verbatim and data were treated using Bardin’s Content Analysis. Data collection was based on the questions: what are the interferences of chronic diseases in older adults’ living conditions? How do older adults feel about loss of functionality? and How do they fell about their autonomy? Results: The categorization of the responses revealed feelings of sadness, desire to die, and anguish related to the mode of life within the family and society. Loss of functionality caused embarrassment about themselves and autonomy reflected their perception of self-care, lackof interaction with others and their social role. Conclusion: Older adults with impaired functionality and autonomy experience feelings that affect their understanding of freedom andpractice of self-care and decision-making skills.