Russian gerontologists have begun to compile a register of centenarians
"Really live up to 120 years"
Elizaveta Maetnaya, "Newspaper.Ru»Gertrude Weaver, the oldest inhabitant of the planet, died at the age of 116.
This sad news has spread all over the world agencies. On her 117th birthday, which was scheduled for July 4 (US Independence Day), Mrs. Weaver from Arkansas invited US President Barack Obama. Gertrude Weaver was the oldest inhabitant of the planet for only six days, and before her this title was worn by 117-year-old Japanese woman Misao Okawa, who died on April 1. The surname of the oldest resident of Russia, alas, is unknown.
"We started compiling the register of centenarians only recently," he told the newspaper.Ru" President of the Russian Association of Gerontologists and Geriatricians Igor Arkhipov. – Now there are about 10 thousand people in our register of those who are over 90 years old." However, it is known that they lived in Russia for 117 years.
Tolstoguzov P. Ya. – the alleged participant of the Battle of Borodino, who lived to celebrate the 100th anniversary of this battle.
A picture from the Wikipedia article "The 100th anniversary of the Patriotic War of 1812" - VM.
"It has been reliably established that at the age of 117, the last of the living participants of the Battle of Borodino died. It was a grenadier of the Semenovsky regiment who lived in Siberia (, – says Arkhipov. – What does this fact mean? The fact that the reserve of human life possibilities is very large, because even after going through such a meat grinder as Borodino, in which about 150 thousand people died in six hours, this man was able to live so much. However, recent studies show that it is realistic to live up to 120 years."
However, even in global terms, it is still very early to talk about such a life expectancy. The government has developed a strategy of actions in the interests of people of retirement age, which stipulates that by 2018 the average life expectancy of Russians should be 74 years (now – 71), and by 2020 – 75.7.
"These figures are quite achievable, but under certain conditions, from the positive psychological attitude of the pensioners themselves, healthy nutrition, adequate medical care and feasible work, because it has been proven that an empty mind is a direct path to Alzheimer's disease, nature does not tolerate emptiness," explains Arkhipov. – In our gerontological center in Peredelkino, the average age of life is already more than 83 years. And old people, getting to us, suddenly open up: they write poems, novels, sing and even win competitions! Vasily Alekseevich Ivanov died in December last year, he was 84.5 years old, and before that he wrote three wonderful novels. Our singing grandmothers win contests, they have beautiful voices. And there are a lot of such examples when old age is a joy."
The charity foundation "Old Age in Joy" oversees 120 nursing homes across the country, and in the average nursing home, especially in rural areas, the picture is completely different.
"Since January, food prices have increased significantly, but budgets have remained the same," says Yulia Bredun from the Old Age in Joy Foundation. – The same story with medicines. Due to high prices, there are not enough of them in nursing homes. And we buy the necessary drugs. The consolidation of nursing homes across the country has also become a serious problem: according to our data, a third of old people cannot stand fees and moving. For them, it becomes the strongest stress, and they die very quickly in a new place. Enlargement, as a rule, is associated with the emergency or fire-hazardous condition of small houses, where an almost family way of life is created. There is good care for the elderly – 20 employees for 25 old people. In large ones, there is one nanny for 32 people."
The volunteers say that the main problem of such establishments is the dull atmosphere and the fact that they don't even approach the grandmothers to turn them over.
"Bedridden people may not be turned over all day, we have faced this more than once, hence bedsores and mortality. Another problem is that no one needs these grandparents, no one visits them or writes letters to them, and it is very important for a person, especially in old age, to know that someone needs him, at least once a year," explains Bredun.
There are also 100-year-old people living in nursing homes supervised by the foundation, says Bredun, but this is still very rare.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru07.04.2015