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12ECONOMIC SCIENCES
PROBLEMS OF COMMUNICATION OF OLDER PEOPLE IN THE "PERSON - FAMILY -
SOCIETY" SYSTEM
Arsenyev Yu.
Doctor of Technical Sciences, Prof., RANEPA, Tula branch
Davydova T.
Candidate of pedagogical sciences, associate professor, Tula State Pedagogical University named after L.N. Tolstoy
ABSTRACT
General and specific features of the health and quality of life of older people in different societies and countries are studied. The issues of communication and relations of people of different generations to the elderly in families, labor collectives, society, improving the efficiency of returns from each member of society are discussed.
Keywords: human capital, society, communication, intergenerational relations and conflicts in the family, collective, and society.
Introducnion. Today, the economically developed countries of the world are characterized by processes of increasing the average life expectancy and the share of the elderly population. The United Nations (UN) has proclaimed the concept of creating a "society for all ages". The exclusion of older people from the productive life of society exacerbates the problems of social inequality and conflicts between and within age groups, as well as the inefficient use of human and intellectual capital, which is extremely important at the present stage of development. In S.I. Ozhegov's dictionary the terms inherent in the phenomenon of old age mean "old" - "beginning to age"; "old age" - "the period of life after maturity, in which the body weakens"; "old" - "reached old age". All these words testify to the fact that our subconscious is clearly fixed norm, and people approximately know what a person looks like in old age or old age. Each human age forms a specific community, a social group.
Study of the specifics of the functioning of these groups - the tasks of social psychology, as well as the psychology of childhood, youth, young, middle, older and senile age. Older persons are worked with by social politicians, sociologists, age and social psychologists, social workers and social pedagogues. Today, the world's senility problem is studied in three main aspects: demographic and economic research; medical peculiarities of senility and study of longevity; social protection of the elderly and old people in the range of research from social security to occupational therapy. A separate direction of the research is the life activity of people with disabilities, the number of who in the Russian Federation is only according to the official statistics of about 12 million people. These categories of the population are not able to compete successfully with able-bodied people for their "place in the sun" in a market economy, and the state is not yet able to ensure that each individual fully complies with the constitutional rights of man and citizen. Systematic studies of the problems of aging, the creation for each person of his or her internal readiness to complete their own destiny at the earliest and later stages of life in the state are extremely important, especially for those who in a mo-
ment become incapable of work as a result of occupational diseases, military actions, emergencies and accidents of different nature, life troubles or specifics of the genetics of individuals, as well as the onset of senility.
1. Senior Person in the System "Person - Family - Society". Prospects of human development in the range of "childhood - old age" at any stage are associated with the success of overcoming a crisis of consciousness or behavior, the strength of the spirit, the consciousness of the choice of life position, adequate assessment of one's own position, the level of ability to work. And the personal work of each person in this direction should begin in advance, taking into account social patterns, communication, interaction, labor activity and patterns of behavior, manifested through the activity and interaction of people endowed with consciousness, will and conscience. It is necessary to systematically train a large number of specialists to work with disabled and elderly people today. Knowledge of characteristics, regularities, motivating forces, mechanisms, personal specifics of mental aging of older people is already necessary today both to create optimal living conditions for people of different ages and to provide them with effective social and psychological assistance. The problem of social psychology and gerontology was studied by J. Hall, R. Havigherst, R. Albrecht, I. Mechnikov, A. Bogomolets, Z. Frenkel, M. Alexan-drova, etc. Their scientific works allowed them to approach the solution of the vital problems of the aging society [1-35].
The content of "groups of the elderly" as a set of heterogeneous subgroups includes research on: the mental state (social character, morals, customs, traditions, and tastes, religious and ethnic peculiarities); the emotional sphere (needs, moods, interests of the individual). The processes of aging, researched in psychological and sociological directions, reflect the following regularities: in the life of any person there comes a slowdown of the processes of life activity according to the genetic program of functioning of his internal organs, adequate provision and development of a person; later a person goes to the stage of regression, taking into account his uniqueness and intellect. Psychological aspect of aging is studied with reference to the change of
characteristics, dynamics of creative productivity of a person. Mental changes inherent in human aging are associated with evolutionary processes and changes in the central nervous system, activities and behavior in relation to social, cultural and other environments. The solution to the nature-education dilemma, which encompasses the study of people's psychological processes at any age, requires a certain approach to the individual in the social environment, since the activity and behavior of any individual at any given time is largely determined by his or her social environment.
Studies in the United States have shown that transformations in education, education, and social well-being, as well as life experiences (cohort effect), particularly affect intellectual change. Scientists have a number of perspectives on the resilience and variability of intelligence in life. One part of psychologists proves that there are no age differences in intellectual competence, and only reduced motivation prevents the normal manifestation of intelligence in old people. The facts revealed by them testify to the dialectics of the unity of regression and progress changes, in the character of intellectual activity and contradictions, in powerful compensatory mechanisms of intellectual restructuring for the manifestation of adaptation effects.
The nature of a person's social interactions is reflected in the functional level of his or her information and cognitive abilities: attention; feeling, perception; thinking (figurative, deductive, hypothetical, abstract); use of language in speech, reading, writing, linguistics, creativity; learning and learning (mechanical memorization, spatial, cognitive, or verbal learning); memory with the processes of coding-decoding, storage, remembrance, recognition, and forgetting.
The following facts are scientifically substantiated and proved: a) mental aging of a person's personality is the more harmonious, the healthier its physical health, the more favorable social conditions, the system of value orientations, life experience, past professional activity, a complex of socio-cultural, ethical and sexual factors; b) successful adaptation to the loss of social position in old age contributes to: emotional stability, inherent in a middle-aged person, as well as satisfaction, allowing you to do what you love. Only a comprehensive analysis of the entire period of a person's life allows us to identify prospects for studying and understanding the process of aging of the personality of the elderly, to mitigate the threats and risks of their lives. The life of a person from birth to biological refusal causes curiosity of many people who have their own personal experience of growing up and aging. Here are some historical data.
In primitive society, people only lived to the age of 25. Man always dreamed not only of immortality and longevity, but also of "elixir of eternal youth", getting rid of senile infirmity, illnesses and suffering. A strong desire for a long and active life prevailed in the dreams of people of all ages, times and peoples. People tried to find these "sources" in distant countries, chemical experiments, temptations of "knowledge" prolonging life.
70-80-year-old people were considered "wise men". The dream of prolonging human life and immor-
tality was born with the awareness of its value, the difference from the life of animals in the early stages of anthroposociogenesis, along with the appearance of evidence of the origin of art and religion.
Growing up has usually been and still is perceived as something attractive, but aging, on the contrary, has traditionally been negative. Each of the pre-existing societies has been exalted by the power and fertility closely linked to youth and beauty, fearing "worn-out infertility and decrepitude that come with old age".
According to the majority of contemporary researchers, these attitudes are underlined by pessimism and hostility towards ageing: youth is always and everywhere preferable to old age; old people have regretted and regret youth and young people are afraid of old age.
A negative view of ageing is linked to a discriminatory model that views ageing as a process of destruction or decline in physical and mental health, intellectual capacity and social relationships. According to Western thinking, the old age is "evil, decrepitude," a physical or moral defect, and a grim time of preparation for death (its perception with even more sympathy than that of old age itself, as meaning liberation from the perishable shell and burdens of mortality). The Christian tradition tries to reconcile its followers with the idea of death, of preparing for it, of moving to the "door to eternal life". An alternative to the discriminatory model is the model of personal growth, focused on the potential benefits of late maturity or old age, as well as old age as a polysemantic, multi-digit category. Humanity at different stages of its development tried to comprehend the phenomenon: a) birth and death, loss and discovery; b) flesh shrinkage and blossoming of spirit; c) beginning and end of life, imprinted in human development. However, this was often done from a polar position. The main conclusion in this process of self-observation and self-identification of a person is the following: old age is natural; it is a reward for a properly lived life, an alternative to the unnatural death of young people who have not reached old age. Culture in different forms and manifestations softens and sometimes removes the natural factor of old age. Genuine culture is indifferent to age. The more the gap between youth and old age is felt in society, the worse the situation with its culture is. This problem became extremely acute in the 20th century, when, along with two world wars, the category of old age caused modification, co-evolution and transformation: social institutions (state, family, religion, morality, morality); priority of values, forms and a number of categories such as "pension", "veterans", "old people's homes", "deserved rest".
The current situation with old people in the West reflects the uncertainty and ambiguity of human existence much more fully than with other ages of life. As they continue to live, older people feel that they no longer belong to society, and they are prohibited from engaging in activities, activities and entertainment of young people. In everyday life, polar definitions reflecting the state of morality, education and upbringing of people in modern society are widely used. These are "youth and old age", "prosperity and poverty", "health and disease" and "success and crisis". From now on, the
elderly have only one tough role to play - constant wisdom without the right to make mistakes. The old man must be a "saint". Sentenced to esteem or deep disgust, older persons and old people have no right to make mistakes: "They have a lot of experience, but they can no longer succumb to the slightest motives of the flesh, they are so weak and useless that they must be perfect. Otherwise, they will seem disgusting. From ancient times until the Renaissance, communities developed, recognizing only physical strength and physical energy. In this sense, living conditions were unfavorable to the old age from the very beginning of history, although there were some variations that contributed to the local and temporary improvement or deterioration of the situation of older people. Any search for the evolution of the situation for older people from Ancient Egypt to the Renaissance is futile and in vain. The conditions of old age were determined by a number of factors that did not necessarily develop evenly (improvement of some aspects of life could be accompanied by deterioration of other parties).
Let us briefly consider the specifics of the difference between gerontophilia and gerontophobia. An important feature of the formation of any society is the care for the elderly, the guardians of the social and psychological experience of the collective, the sources of wisdom. The research of the surviving Mesolithic and Neolithic burials testifies to the early age of death, especially for women. At that time, the elderly people were considered to be people in the age of 30-50 years; the conditional life expectancy of a generation was 2025 years. At the dawn of civilization and the early stages of human development, the central figure was a mature man. With the onset of old age, when the forces had already refused the helpless old man, and knowledge and skills became useless, his fellow tribesmen left him at the mercy of fate. Primordial societies were communities without old people, the living conditions of old people depended heavily on the social sphere.
In traditional societies, the elders served as the guardians and transmitters of the traditions of the tribe. Gradually there was a separation of functions: some elders embodied the cult of ancestors, others (priests) -the cult of gods. The formalization of patriarchal relations in the West led to the sacralization of the personality of the elderly and the development of the cult of the old leader. He received special development in the Jewish-Christian religion, in which the biblical prophets and apostles personify public wisdom. In the Orthodox-Christian tradition, God also appears as a wise old man. In east philosophical-ethical systems, first of all, in Ancient China, elderly people and old age were especially revered. The age of 60-70 years was considered "desirable". So, Confucius in 70 years followed the desires of the heart and did not overstep the measure. The attitude of the Chinese is based on respect for old age and old people. This eastern gerontology (gerontos - the old man, phileo - love) had deep social roots. Stability of social and political structure of the society was associated with viciousness and stability of the human body and gaining wisdom in old age. Social patterns in East Asia are generally Confucian values.
However, in the middle of the 20th century, social and economic transformations began in Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong, which served as models for developing and developed countries and led to the transformation of social patterns. In the usual slang, old people are figuratively referred to as "silver heads" (respectful recognition of the grey head as a sign of completed life or award). However, this grey hair instead of achieving it really means in the consciousness of the society the process of change in attitudes towards the elderly, deterioration of their position in the society. For East Asian people with recognized respect for seniority and family and community values, the emergence of signs of social deterioration in attitudes towards the elderly and old people has been particularly devastating. The combination of life expectancy and rapid social and economic transformation has led to both an increase in the proportion of the older population, which is predominantly female, and to social neglect of the older population. Changes in economic life and family structure deprived older women of their normal resources and prestige in the 70-80s. They had to adapt to new living conditions. Grandmothers no longer expect their married sons to pay their salaries as a contribution to the family fund, and their daughters-in-law to provide daily assistance to their physical and emotional needs. Older women face the prospect of living alone without a home, as adult sons leave home, and these women "often move from place to place" to the homes of their married sons.
Already in the age of antiquity, old age needed moral justification. This formed a polarized mentality in the public consciousness - gerontophobia (gerontos -the old man, phobos - fear), fear of old people and old age. Hostile feelings of old age, fear of old age came from the distant past, when the old man had no place in the community, tribe, and he was thrown away by his own children without any protest, neither they nor their community. Many peoples had a custom of killing old people. This custom is conditioned by the low level of productive forces, which made old people a burden in the eyes of society, social and class contradictions, enshrined in the cultural and psychological traditions of ethnic groups. Negative attitudes towards the old people, which arose at the early stages of the progress of society in the conditions of poor existence, remain to a certain extent in the Western consciousness; have a significant impact on the motives of behavior, well-being and even the state of health of elderly people who consider themselves superfluous in society. This makes it necessary to criticize gerontophobic attitudes. From the humanistic position it is important to recognize the social value of the elderly as bearers of traditions, cultural heritage of nations, to promote modern scientific knowledge about the psychological content and beauty of the late years of life, ways of "safe" aging. Opposite points of view on the image of the old man are soci-ocultural phenomena with roots in the real contradictions of society. Gerontophobic attitudes need to be fully criticized because of their preservation at the level of everyday consciousness. The increase in public opinion of the "value" of youth in Western culture has led to the evolution of ideas about old age. The word "old
age" fell out of the ordinary language, and the "old man" cut the rumor, gaining a contemptuous or patronizing shade.
In Christian culture, the image of old age since antiquity had contradictory approaches to life, the boundaries of its age among different ethnic groups due to their historical fate, mentality and national character. The influence of morality, religious and legal norms prevailing in the society was taken into account, which was approved by the majority of the population. These circumstances were fixed in the everyday life of people, and then in traditional behavior, stereotypes of consciousness, fixed attitudes, socio-cultural ideas. Researches of scientists of the beginning of the XX century revealed the following features:
The attitude towards old age is not the same; it depends on the mass of factors. The most important factors are the abundance, wealth, and lack of food for all members of society; the availability or absence of living space and habitat associated with the notion of necessary comfort and wealth for older age groups; and the need or not to translate cultural norms from older to younger generations.
In many religions the common moral practice of the ethnic group became a certain religious norm of the attitude to old age. In the sacred books (Vedas, the Bible, the Koran, the doctrine of Confucius, the Torah) different approaches to the phenomenon of old age, caused by the specifics of the development of ethnic groups in the regions of the world in the periods of the emergence of world and national religions, which have become for many centuries a specific moral criterion for the attitude to the elders. Longevity in the Christian religion is considered dual: as a special gift coming from God, which is given only to the righteous (the Old Testament says: Noah lived 500 years before the flood and 300 years after it), as punishment for sins (an old sinner prays to God for death, but is doomed to lead a frozen earthly existence). At the same time, Christianity, as well as the moral norms of Taoism, Confucianism and Islam, has always been respectful of old age. Accordingly, with its dogmas, Christianity prepared believers for death, promising them not only the afterlife, but also a meeting in heaven with all relatives and friends, which facilitated the transition from life to death. This fact is noted by all physicians of the world: that true believers in God, regardless of religion, die quietly and with dignity in the hope of a new eternal life. In Christian culture the image of old age is conditioned by multifunctional orientation of spirit, soul, and flesh and own will of a man. For approaching the God it is necessary to make efforts, and old age - favorable age: temptations of flesh connected with a food, sexual instinct, to an old age are weakened that creates natural preconditions for enlightenment. Especially the essence of the attitude to old age is clearly seen in old age, which is the highest level of spiritual perfection on the way to immortality and likening to God, the redemption of sin of mankind. The Christian image of old age and its most vivid manifestation is holy old age, as the realization of what is hidden in every soul, the inner rejection of physical old age and death, spiritual immunity to them.
2. The Relationships in the System "Family -Senior". In foreign studies, the problem of people's relationships in the family manifested itself mainly in two aspects: mutual dependence in the conditions of urbanization and industrialization, competent functioning of the elderly, successful presentation of their social roles, the ability to adapt to changes in the environment and a sense of personal control over the situation. In traditional societies, work and the organizational structure of the family were closely intertwined, allowing older persons to participate in the family division of labor until they were old enough to ensure their authority and personal autonomy. Later on, the specialization of economic functions in the age group was strengthened; the displacement of older persons from the labor market through official retirement led to the severance of their ties with the younger generation.
Now young people are able to support themselves financially, and the older generation receives a pension and other types of social assistance. The material mutual independence of the generations leads to the breakup of family solidarity. The young generation does not need the support of old people who leave their families and do not play the role of grandparents. The family breaks up: life in the "I" has become more important than life in the "We". Whereas young people used to be intimately involved in helping older people with much closer contact, not only with their weaknesses and illnesses, but also with their wealth of experience and sense of power, now generations live much more isolated lives. In addition to physical and spiritual alienation, social exclusion has also been added. The younger generation is being replaced by pension institutions and institutions instead of people. Meanwhile, the ideal of the existence of the elderly is to maintain close social ties with a sufficiently high level of independence, rational combination of family care and personal autonomy. Older person's value privacy and independence, preferring the forms of living that they find most useful in maintaining favorable family relationships, defined as "proximity at a distance" with sufficient cohesion, understanding, consent and good spirits between communication partners.
Research in the 1970s and 1980s showed that social contact with friends or neighbors has a greater impact on well-being than contact with children or relatives; friendships in old age reduce loneliness, self-esteem, and self-esteem, while family relationships are often conflicting and can become a source of dissatisfaction and even depression; friendships and contacts with neighbors continue to play an important role, but change, become less frequent and less frequent; and They are encouraged to attend a variety of clubs based on shared activities and close interests, restoring autonomy and independence, compensating for reduced personal capacity and loneliness; in hardship and adversity, the family remains the main refuge for each individual, including the elderly. The scope of the family's life in meeting the specific needs of its members is referred to as the function of the family. The performance of family functions is a priority for both family members and society. Over time, the family's functions have
changed according to social conditions, with some disappearing and others changing, with increased tolerance for violations of norms of behavior in the field of marriage and family relations, divorce, etc. Recently, some new functions of the family, such as recreational, psychotherapeutic, have been singled out. Marriage is increasingly understood as an alliance based on emotional connections, rather than on economic and material benefits. The family structure is usually researched: a) composition (who is physically or psychologically present in the family system, divorced, remarried); b) subsystem levels (children, parents); c) family structure in terms of a number of parameters (cohesion, hierarchy, flexibility, external and internal boundaries, role structure); d) assessment of the nature of structural problems (intergenerational coalitions, hierarchy reversal, type of family structure imbalance).
1. Cohesion (emotional bonding, proximity, attachment of family members) and hierarchy (authority, dominance, responsibility for decision-making, degree of influence of one family member on others) are the key parameters for describing the structure of family relationships. Structural theory argues that system dysfunction is usually the result of extreme variants, and the boundaries of systems are not recommended to be too rigid or blurred.
The circular model of family structure proposed by Olson is widely known in practice. The model of family structure includes two axes divided into four levels each, allowing estimating communication: cohesion - separated, divided, united, confused; flexibility -rigid, structured, flexible, chaotic.
Models of families with central levels of cohesion (divided, united) and flexibility (flexible, structured) are balanced. This ensures rational or optimal functioning of families. The extreme values on these scales (disjointed, confused in cohesion; rigid, chaotic in flexibility) are considered problem areas. If the level of cohesion is too high (a tangled system), there are a lot of centripetal forces in the family, extreme demands for emotional intimacy and loyalty, so family members act in concert, the differences in their positions are actively suppressed (family members have little personal space, are similar to each other). The energy of the family is concentrated inside, and each member has little shared with other friends and interests. A family with a low level of cohesion (fragmented system) has a lot of centrifugal forces. Family members are very different emotionally, have little attachment to each other, their behavior is not coordinated, they spend their free time separately, have different interests of their own and friends'. It is difficult for them to solve family problems and provide each other with mutual support.
2. Balanced family members are able to combine their own independence with close relationships with their families. Families with a shared type of relationship are emotionally different, but not as strong as in a fragmented system. Although time is more important for family members, the family is able to come together, discuss problems, provide mutual support and make collective decisions. Their interests and friends are usually different, but some of their friends and interests are common to family members. Families with
a connected type of family are emotionally close, loyal in relationships, and often spend time together that is more important to them than spending time with their friends on their own interests. Togetherness in such families is not too complicated.
3. In general, families need not only a balance of intimacy or separation, but also a combination of intra-family changes and stability. Family systems that are unbalanced in terms of flexibility tend to be either rigid or chaotic. The system is rigid, if it does not respond to life's problems facing the family, refuses to change and adapt to them (birth, death, career, residence, growing up of children, etc.). The family system is chaotic at the time of crisis (birth of a child, divorce, loss of sources of income, etc.). This condition becomes problematic if the family lingers in it for a long time, has unstable or limited management, its decisions are impulsive and not thought over, the roles are unclear, often pass from one family member to another.
4. Flexibly balanced systems tend to be either structured or flexible. A structured type of family system tends to have a sufficient degree of democratic leadership, inclined to negotiate family members' issues, including children's views. Roles and family rules are stable and can be discussed. A flexible type of family system has a democratic leadership style, open negotiations with the active participation of children. Roles are divided according to family members, changing as necessary. The rules can be changed and relate to the age of family members. Sometimes families may lack leadership, and family members may have a long time to argue.
Olson's family model is based on three hypotheses: a) spouses and families of balanced types at the life cycle stages function more adequately than families of unbalanced types; b) stress and changes at the stages of the family's life cycle adapt to the emerging circumstances; balance of families does not guarantee their functioning in a moderate range, it is important only when close to the extreme values of the range of measurements to strive to return to the previous stable state to avoid psychological troubles; c) positive communication skills (empathy, listening and listening, self-disclosure, negotiation skills, etc.) help balanced families to maintain a balance of flexibility and cohesion, and to change levels of intimacy and flexibility. In contrast, extreme types of family systems have poor communication, which hinders movement towards balance and increases the likelihood of delay in extreme positions. Analysis of family structures answers questions: a) how are family functions implemented (authoritarian, democratically); b) how are the rights and responsibilities of the family distributed (all in the hands of one member or evenly among all)?
Different systems and stages are distinguished according to the dynamics of the family. The system of E. Duvall stages is known based on the presence of children in the family and their age. In Russia, there are known systems of per iodization, stages and stages of life. Summarizing foreign and Russian experience, A. Chernikov proposed 7 stages of the family life cycle. The system of per iodization is useful for comparing deviations. The stages are transitional steps with new
tasks for families that require the restructuring of their relationships. Transition of a family to a new stage is connected with changes in its structural organization, adaptation to the current situation of its functioning, development of new rules.
Having reached the retirement age and stopped working in a team, an elderly person loses his or her main role as a "breadwinner" in the family and a "worker" in the social sense. Moving from step to step, a person strives to preserve the previous preferences and habits, learned roles and functions. Society and the family as public units do not impose the same requirements on an elderly person, deprive him/her of a specific role and change his status. Role uncertainty can demoralize older people, negatively affecting their psychological stability. Unstructured life situations often cause depression and anxiety in older people. Many of the problems faced by older people are related to the impossibility of performing familiar social and professional roles, the resulting sense of loss of meaning in life, and the lowering of self-esteem.
Psychologists distinguish four types of interaction between older parents and their adult children: a) equal status - interaction between two friendly adults; b) status quo - an adult child is controlled by a parent; c) status conflict - struggle for rights and power; d) status exchange - the parent depends on the adult child.
It is essential for elderly people to have grandchildren in the family who require care, and to spend a lot of time on educational and household functions and additional activities. The presence of grandparents creates the necessary sense of security. His or her relationship with his or her elders is very different from that with his or her parents, and it is relatively equal in nature, contributing to the development of empathy, compassion, and awareness of his or her usefulness to others. Relationships between related generations change at different stages. In the following years, when parents become older and children become more mature and independent, the older generation needs material and moral help from children and grandchildren, who, however, do not always provide them with assistance and attention to the older generation. Many researchers note that the increase in the number of elderly people is due to the growth (20-30%) in the number of those in need of care and support. The number of elderly people who do without constant help in homework is many times higher than the number of those who need help (calling a doctor, following his recommendations, giving medication). Usually, female family members, sometimes neighbors, perform guardianship functions over the sick.
In general, the types of behavior of grandmothers depend on their and grandchildren's age, to a lesser extent on the level of education, living conditions and the nature of family ties (the higher the level of grandmother's education, the more "detached" in the relationship with grandchildren). The contribution of the older generation to family life, the spectrum of roles depends on their age and grandchildren, living conditions, kinship ties, social norms of needs and expectations.
3. The Quality of Life of the Seniors. The quality of life was initially considered a sociological category
expressing the quality of satisfaction with material and cultural needs (quality of nutrition, quality of health care, education, ecology, housing conditions, fashionable clothes, cultural pastime). In recent years, the quality of life has acquired a socio-psychological meaning, helping to assess more accurately the level of external influences on the condition of older people. A number of researchers are convinced that the characteristic features of old age are the result of poor nutrition, lack of movement and disease. Even the heart and kidneys of a healthy person in the age of 65 and older can function like a young person, and brain disorders do not occur as long as the living conditions are conducive to the activity of the person, being of high quality.
The concept of "quality of life" is still debatable. Some people consider it to be identical to the way of life, level, style or way of life, quantity and quality of people's needs, their mutual relations, emotions and their subjective expression. Others oppose the quality and standard of living, the higher the standard of living, the more intense the rhythm of life, the lower the quality of life, and vice versa. Others reduce the quality of life to the level of stressful situations or the quality of life around them. According to a number of foreign scientists, it is the interest in the quality of life of older people that initiated the research, practical activities and social policy in relation to pensioners.
In the 60-70s of the 20th century, a movement "for a new quality of life" was observed abroad, raising environmental and socio-psychological problems of society. Characteristic features of life in old age include: quality of life; dependence; neediness; well-being. In general, the quality of life is considered in two aspects: quantitative assessment of all aspects of people's life according to the indicators of living standards, morbidity and mortality. It turned out that the concept of quality of life is adequate to the concept of lifestyles as an established system of forms and activities, everyday behavior and relationships of people under certain environmental conditions, affecting the health and well-being of people). The close connection between the way of life and the state of health of older people was revealed; the qualitative assessment of the satisfaction of comprehensive needs of older people with comparison of their actual level and chosen standard of living.
The quality of life integrates the goals and values of social life to ensure a decent everyday life for the individual. Back in the 19th century, Bentham proposed a scale of "calculation of pleasure", calculating the main components of utility (in his opinion, pleasure). The parameters of utility are intensity, duration. They can measure the well-being of individuals and then compare them by poverty and health factors. At that time, the general welfare of individuals was assessed by additive assessment of the welfare of all individuals.
Today, foreign researchers are discussing the elements of the quality of life concept and standards (thresholds) of each element of the quality of life (values below the standard are considered unacceptable). For many of these elements, there are certain standards against which the quality of life is calculated. Thus, the level of income or social activity below the set standard
is considered unacceptable. However, it has not yet been decided how to define this level. In general, there are difficulties of integration of subjective and objective elements, and this problem should be solved jointly by all.
Today, the situation of the elderly Russians is characterized by the experience of heavy losses, deprivations and trials of the post-war war years, difficulties in restoring the national economy destroyed by the war, the Chernobyl tragedy, etc. Their expectations and subjective ideas about the quality of life are much lower than those who have not yet begun to age, who have experience of living in more comfortable and prosperous conditions. While the old age is defined as a problem, as an "indicator" of the quality of life within the framework of politics and ideology of society, the concept of "quality of life" remains closely related to the group of people of late age.
Scientists who study the quality of life are often limited only by factors of material wealth and health, although subjective indicators - satisfaction with life, self-respect, and a sense of control over life - are equally important. It has been revealed that perceptions of the situation and its assessment by older people determine the well-being and satisfaction with the quality of life (assessment by the subject himself) to a greater extent than the objective situation. Murphy's research has shown that the health status of older people suffering from depression is linked to the presence of poor social interactions. If low self-esteem is transferred from past experience, it increases vulnerability to depression in the event of severe grief or physical illness. Elderly people who previously had experience of good interactions are able to withstand the blows of life and negative events.
Thus, the positive experiences of the past have a significant impact on the present, increasing the threshold of vulnerability to negative late life events. Negative unexpected events do not seriously affect self-respect. Research shows that the quality of life of older people depends significantly on their activity and availability of social support; the study of social connections, activities, on the one hand, and well-being, on the other hand, allows to measure the well-being and quality of life of the subjects. Continuous employment provides better morale, a sense of personal necessity and happiness. In general, the quality of life can be represented by a matrix of interrelated elements and specifics of their relations, the integration of which determines the quality of life of each individual, its possible comparison with the matrixes of other individuals in similar conditions of real life. Therefore, the objective elements are health and financial sources, and the subjective elements are the perceptions of well-being, the basic level of satisfaction, its value, self-respect and related important events in the life of any elderly person.
Age discrimination, or ageism, is a negative or degrading attitude towards a person because of their age. The term was first introduced by R. Butler (1969), who described ageism as a reflection of the deep-seated anxiety of some young and middle-aged people, their personal disgust and aversion to aging people, diseases, disabilities, their fear of helplessness, uselessness and
death. Ageism is often defined in English as discrimination or prejudice directed against older people, or more specifically, as an offensive demonstration of one's strength through an age relationship. Ageism is an institutional (legalizing discrimination against people) or internal (offensive, degrading interpersonal actions) process of systematic stereotyping and discrimination against people because of their old age, as well as racism and sexism because of their skin colour and gender.
Later, in 1999, J. Johnson and B. Bitway criticized the introduction of R. Butler criticized the terms that no longer fit the new social changes. Firstly, the spread of Ageism is linked to the brutal treatment of older people, who are becoming less and less respected than others, so they are treated as people who do not deserve equal rights. Ageism today highlights the perspectives of people of working age, middle-aged and mature people who "oppress" both young people and older people. However, these adults themselves are under the pressure of Ageism, which is a phenomenon inherent in the mentality of the entire population. Ageist discrimination is generated and enshrined in age-specific labour legislation. Many charities that provide home-based care for older persons, legislators who draft laws that protect benefits for older persons and veterans, use legitimate institutional discrimination and clearly demonstrate deceptive concerns about their suffering. Social service departments and centres are as receptive to ageism as the rest of society. For example, the lack of social and psychological competence of social workers increases: difficulties in communicating with older people; the acquisition of manipulation skills; indices of aggression and hostility with the increase in the length of service. All this, firstly, violates the right of an elderly person to dignity and respect (the main principle of social work) and, secondly, the orientation to the goals hidden from an elderly person, which is not adequate to the task declared openly. Unfortunately, social workers do not go beyond the boundaries of ageist prejudices and behaviors inherent in Russian society. Understanding the immature imperfect nature of the "new" profession of social worker and ageist assumptions is an imperative for social workers (up to 86% of participants in retraining courses for social pedagogues share negative stereotypes about the specifics of older people's lives).
Training of specialists in social work in universities should also be improved, as they are practically not in contact with older clients, far from their needs, fully applying ageist stereotypes and perceptions. If elderly people have growing needs for medical and social assistance, it should also be in the field of psychological assistance. Psychology itself is not yet developed to a level adequate to the needs of older people, providing them with appropriate assistance in the absence of the methodology of its provision. Older people are rare clients of practical and clinical psychologists who want to receive only medical treatment. In general, there are a lot of problems in work with elderly people (stress, situations of grief, heavy losses, etc.). When providing assistance, psychologists should work closely with the client, his family and caregiver. Under the weight of
these problems, psychologists may fall under the influence of the myth of "superpsychologist", ignoring their own emotional reactions and lack of experience, experiencing professional and personal vulnerability. This is especially true for novice psychologists with their mistaken stereotypes about older people. Their training requires training, which should be carried out both at the stage of training specialists and in the course of working life.
Some people have had positive experiences with their ancestors since childhood, while others have had negative experiences that affect their subsequent behaviour. Most of the social workers most often have contacts only with their grandparents, and they are often superficial and shallow. If a specialist does not have a positive experience of communicating with older people in everyday life, then there is a high risk of presenting all older people in the same light - disabled, helpless people with a lot of problems. Social workers and psychologists have contacts, experience of communication with older people and their families in difficult crisis situations. Professionals with experience of communicating with them as patients and clients usually have confidence that old age is associated with a lot of involutions and difficulties, although older people can learn, develop skills and new interests.
Social workers have to constantly listen to the stories of older people about their lives, full of despair and disappointment. Many positive events are usually overlooked by older people (events for older people are important if they are reflected in their lives). A social worker talks to an elderly person and finds out that he or she has lost his or her job, is desperate and thinks that life has "gone wrong", remembers periods of war, repression, etc. The specialist falls into a trap of sympathy, considering everyone helpless victims of a failed past. Unconscious stereotypes of the elderly, such as ageism, impoverish practice. It seems to social workers that they already know what to expect from an elderly person, what he wants, and therefore, without consulting with him, act independently, as if in the interests of the client, although these actions cause irritation and anxiety among older people. A similar mistake is inherent in psychologists with insufficient knowledge about the past life of an elderly person, subconsciously perceiving him/her as a loser. Based on the best intentions, they subtly and imperceptibly, in the order of rendering assistance, "press" on the client who perceives his image as helpless, weak. It is useful for them to use the method of biographical interviewing to highlight positive events in the life of clients. It requires a sufficient amount of tolerance and patience to listen to boring, repetitive, sometimes exaggeratedly inflated stories, eccentric escapades. Older people present their lives in the most elite boarding schools as restrictions on freedom and choice (if this is not appropriate for professionals, it is not suitable for older people either). The lack of prestige of the position of the boarding schools in the Russian society can be explained by the following: the lack of understanding of the persons who are engaged in the elderly in the long term, the lack of funding, and the existence of the Russian opinion that the old people can wait.
Neglect of the elderly is ageism, and it must be recognized in a timely manner and resolved as a multi-faceted problem. Psychologists working with older people should have a basic education in the personal and psychological characteristics of older people. Many professionals, starting with older people, are often stressed by their clients for reasons such as: lack of understanding of the reality of older people, underestimation of their needs and potential, lack of skills and competence to work with this age group, the need for knowledge of the religion of the population they serve, personal changes from mental illness, sexuality of older people (a topic that until recently was completely ignored), etc.
Specialists have identified three main guiding principles for working with older people: not to allow them to get involved in the negative image of ageing, to help them see and understand that the source of their problems is in the situation and not in themselves; to require older people to take responsibility for their lives where possible; and to encourage older people to take responsibility for their activities, maintaining their sense of integration and integrity of life. Older persons sometimes become age- and age-appropriate. Therefore, the task of professionals working with them is to gently resolve their attitudes towards age and age group.
Conclusions. Changes in modern society are closely related to many aspects of the life of older people in the family, groups and society.
1. A fairly high proportion of older people in the General population of economically developed countries make significant adjustments to the existing systems of "man-family - society", requiring targeted transformation and adaptation of socio-economic systems, the development of scientifically based, methodically sound approaches to providing social and psychological assistance to the elderly, related family members and the entire society.
2. The importance of providing professional care for older people attach to this process with new and current measurement. Aging is a natural process inherent in the life of any person, so it is important to review the views of the elderly as needy, unproductive and unhappy people, to study the socio-psychological problems of functioning and gradual aging of the population.
3. Allocation of elderly people to a special group is conditional from the position of social psychology of aging, because many older people do not identify themselves with this age group. The potentially negative consequences of this process can and should be mitigated by reasonable state, socio-economic policies, scientific innovations designed to answer the most complex questions of the social psychology of aging, organizational, managerial and practice-oriented mechanisms and laws.
4. Social psychology of aging is one of the most important philosophical, social and psychological Sciences, an integral part of the professional training and competence of many specialists who focus on communication with older people, age groups and segments of
the population. Practical application of its most important recommendations will optimize the development trends of society, family, and personality, implement the concept of "positive aging", give a new quality to social relations, and provide professional assistance to older generations of people.
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