RUSSIAN OLD AGE

The subject field of this article is aging and old age as natural and irreversible processes in the functioning of an ever-increasing part of the population. These processes are physiologically similar all over the world, but socially and in typical everyday situations, they differ significantly depending on the demographic and socioeconomic specifics of states, on the traditions and social consciousness of different peoples, and Russian old age is a clear confirmation of this. The article shows the limited opportunities of Russian citizens to live to extreme old age and the contradictions between political declarations about active old age and the realities of age discrimination. The reasons and resilience of the negative perception of Russian assisted-living facilities are noted. The incentives for older people to save money for their own burial and the expansion of the practice of estate planning are discussed. Attempts to resist the signs of aging and ideas about medical and technological prospects for achieving physical immortality are considered. In connection with the latter, some considerations are outlined about “how long one should live.”