Introduction:There may be different attitudes towards the transition into retirement and old age pensioner life among people who are relatively close to get into their third age. This phenomenon has not been widely studied in the nursing literature. Since this predictable-involuntary transition may have influences on personal health and well-being, it should be meaningful to study it in a self-care perspective. The aim of this study was to illuminate aspects of self-care in a group of middle-aged individuals in relation to their anticipated transition into retirement in the Nordic welfare context. Methods and Materials:A qualitative design was used in this  study. A total number of 13 individuals, 55–65 years of age, were randomly chosen from the total number of inhabitants in three municipalities in mid-west Sweden. The interviews were tape recorded and transcribed verbatim. After content analyses and interpretation, a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon was revealed. Results: All informants viewed their lives in retrospective with  positive feelings with respect to their childhood and youth. As grown up individuals, they saw family, friends and social relations as very important. No particular differences between the informants from the different municipalities were found, nor in relation to age, sex or profession. There were opportunities, expectations, wishes, concerns and worries related to the transition into old age pensioner life among the informants from both the rural and urban municipalities. Conclusion: Autonomy and mature dependence seem to be positive driving forces for reaching a successful transition into old age. Supporting autonomy should, therefore, be a way for facilitating the predictable-involuntary transition into retirement. Further studies about the retirement transition within a self-care perspective are needed. This study indicates that motivation, autonomy and mature dependence are important issues that should be focused in such research. Gender issues and connectedness are other important areas.