Rebellion against old age

Olga Sobolevskaya, "Voice of Russia"Humanity is aging more and more rapidly.

By 2022, the number of people over the age of 60 will exceed a billion, the authors of a recent report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) have estimated. Humanity responds to the fatal demographic process with a revolt. Young people do not want to grow up and revel in toys. Older people are passionate about rejuvenating technologies. The beauty industry popularizes plastic surgery and promotes the "infant" style of clothing. Gerontologists are experiencing their finest hour

Is the aging of humanity fatal?"The process of population aging in the world is going at a very intensive pace," says Igor Beloborodov, director of the Institute of Demographic Research.

"Nothing like this has ever been observed in history."

By 2050, the elderly will be almost a third of the total population of the planet, UN experts predict. How big is this figure? "The population is considered old even when the proportion of people over 65 exceeds 7 percent," Igor Beloborodov comments. In Russia, the elderly, according to the experts of the UNFPA, are already about 19 percent of the total population. Those over 60, there are 26.5 million people.

By the middle of the century, there will be more people of the "silver age" than children under the age of 15, according to a report by the UN Population Fund. This means that the population will be maintained mainly not at the expense of fertility, but at the expense of long life expectancy. For example, as in Japan. 82 years – that's how long the Japanese live on average. Russians live on average 70.3 years. However, the forecasts are quite comforting. By 2018, the total life expectancy in Russia is expected to be at least 74 years, President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with labor veterans the other day.

Causes of population agingThe aging of the population is a consequence of a decrease in the birth rate.

Fewer and fewer children are coming to replace their parents. Here are the telling numbers. More than 40 percent of the world's population already live in countries where the birth rate is below the minimum required for a simple replacement generation. This minimum is 2.1 births per woman, or the fertility rate is 2.1. If it is lower, then the share of elderly people in the total population structure will increase in the country.

Now in developed countries, people live on average 78 years. By the middle of the century, this figure may exceed the current Japanese record and reach 83 years. "But no high life expectancy can save a nation or the population of the planet," says Igor Beloborodov. – This function is performed only by fertility." It allows society to renew itself and maintain demographic stability.

Fertility rates are also important for the economy. With their decline, there are more and more pensioners, and fewer and fewer working people. The burden on the budget is growing noticeably, so it is obvious that raising the retirement age cannot be avoided. This has already happened, for example, in Germany, where the retirement age has increased from 65 to 67 years. Similar measures are being prepared in the UK.

For Russia, the "pension threshold" is also an acute issue. Now women retire at 55, and men at 60. By 2030, it is worth raising the retirement age for men and women to 63 years, according to the International Monetary Fund. By the way, even in the "zero years", a considerable part of men did not live up to 60 years.

The world will be saved by familyWhere do such distortions in demography come from – a drop in the birth rate and an aging population?

It's all about a "mental crisis," Igor Beloborodov believes. "The whole era of population growth is a time of accumulation of material goods," he reflects. "It is impossible to say that we began to live worse in the 20th century, despite two world wars. On the contrary, if we look at the dynamics of the growth of the world population since the stage of reaching the first billion in the 19th century, then by now it has increased only seven times. But people's incomes have increased almost 20 times over the same period."

It is clear that the birth rate is influenced by the religious traditions of society and values. The age of marriage has increased in Russia. According to statistics, in 2004, 30% of women got married for the first time at the age of 30. Now 30-year–old brides - almost 40 percent. Women in Russia, as in Europe, are increasingly postponing motherhood until the moment when they achieve success in their careers and self-actualize. In Russian megacities, almost half of women give birth to their first child at the age of 27-30 years.

However, someone is delaying the creation of a family because he has not yet "sated" with pleasures. Sociologists have even introduced the term "kidalt" (from the English kid and adult, "adult child") in application to infantile young egoists up to 30 years and older who do not want to grow up and take responsibility. Kidalts are ideal consumers of gadgets, computer games, household appliances, jewelry, expensive clothes and cars. In them, the manufacturers of all these goods have found the most avid buyers.

"Adult babies" sometimes perceive life as a fun, frivolous walk. By the way, there are many supporters of childlessness among them – the so-called child-free. But, fortunately, not all of them remain true to these illusions. In any case, most scientists do not yet see ideological opponents of childbearing as a serious threat to demographic stability.

But this does not mean that demographic processes do not need to be adjusted. According to Igor Beloborodov, this is simply necessary. After all, we are talking about the survival of all mankind. The cure for demographic "diseases" is to strengthen the institution of the family, the expert says.

By the way, in societies with low fertility, an unpleasant phenomenon has already manifested itself: young people do not know how and do not want to take care of the elderly. Chinese sociologists have introduced the term "little emperor" for this. The only and, as they say, "beloved" child in the family upon reaching adulthood is not ready to take care of parents. He is used only to "absorb" love.

Phobia of old ageThere are "diseases" in demography of a rapid increase in life expectancy, says Lilia Ovcharova, director of scientific programs at the Independent Institute of Social Policy.

"Life expectancy has increased in the 20th and 21st centuries, but we live in sociocultural standards of lower life expectancy," she explains. Old age is still associated with disease and poverty. Hence the fear of her. People are afraid of helplessness, they do not want to become a burden to their relatives, they are afraid that they will not receive support from relatives and the state.

Old age implies "the loss of important life opportunities," says psychotherapist Vladislav Mozhaisky. For example, one of the reasons for the suicide of the American writer Ernest Hemingway is his rejection of his own old age and, possibly, creative extinction, Mozhaisky says. Fear of old age can worsen sleep and appetite, cause anxiety, palpitations, increase blood pressure.

A number of studies suggest that in Russia the difference between the life expectancy of a man and a woman is partly determined "precisely by the fear of old age and the lack of positive emotions at retirement," says Lilia Ovcharova. According to UN experts, there are 53 men per 100 women in Russia (either this is a typo, or we are talking about the elderly: in general, in recent years, there have been approximately 87 male VMs per 100 women in Russia). And here are the statistics announced by President Vladimir Putin: the average life expectancy of women in Russia is 76.1 years, men - 64.3 years.

However, all over the world women live longer than men. Cardiovascular and oncological diseases hit the "stronger sex" harder. They are experiencing life's troubles harder, they adapt to new conditions worse. Men are more likely to get into accidents, get injured at work and die due to alcohol poisoning.

Competition of youth and old ageThe most effective cure for the fear of old age is understanding all its advantages, psychologists say.

Among such psychological "bonuses" are calmness, depth of perception, wisdom, condescension to young people. However, in difficult living conditions, people can lose these properties. And such a situation is, alas, not uncommon in the lives of older people.

Creating decent living conditions for the elderly is "a serious multifaceted task, for which it is necessary to combine the efforts of authorities, businesses, non–profit organizations, volunteers and religious denominations," President Vladimir Putin recently stressed.

It is clear that a lot will have to be done here, experts comment. One of the measures contributing to the redistribution of resources in favor of the elderly is the funded part of the pension, Lilia Ovcharova believes. People accumulate resources throughout their working life and use them after retirement.

However, any socio-economic measures to protect old age are only the tip of the iceberg. We need to work with its underwater part – the attitude towards the elderly in society. It is no secret that in many countries the elderly are neglected, deceived, and sometimes denied the necessary social and medical care. "This is an ordinary competition between youth and old age, a disgusting struggle for material goods," comments psychologist Yuri Levchenko. "There may not be enough of them on the planet for everyone." In this struggle for benefits, young people often win thanks to physical strength and appearance.

Young people need to be explained that older people can give them invaluable experience, says psychologist Yuri Levchenko. But even elderly people themselves should not consider themselves to be old in 50-60 years. "When a person takes care of his health and wants to look young, it's good," the expert reasonably notes.

However, sometimes the desire to look young reaches the point of absurdity in the elderly, and even in middle-aged people. Both in Russia and in the world, the popularity of anti-aging diets and pills that slow down aging is growing. And even people of 30-40 years old decide on plastic surgery today. In part, the lobby of the beauty industry played a role here. She promotes youth in all its splendor, including artificial – glossy, glamorous. However, in fact, this is a game on fears of aging.

Beautiful old ageThe rate of aging depends on genetic data, lifestyle, work, experiences and environmental conditions.

"European elderly people look good even without plastic surgery," notes Lilia Ovcharova. "They travel and lead a lifestyle that was not available to them in their youth."

In Russia, many people age and die prematurely. "We have 37 percent fewer people who are over 60 years old and older than in Europe," says Vladimir Havinson, head of the European Association of Gerontology.

At the same time, according to many gerontologists, a person has 110-120 years of life measured by nature. The record of longevity – 122 years – was set by the Frenchwoman Jeanne Kalman, who died in 1997. "A significant part of the population can live up to 100 years," Galina Ryzhak, deputy director of the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology, is convinced. – At the same time, the government's social programs are important, of course. But even more important is the right attitude to yourself."

People want fast-acting pills for old age, and not everyone wants to do their health, complains Galina Ryzhak. The best recipe for mental old age is activity, interest in life, the expert explains. Someone enjoys studying with their grandchildren, someone enjoys hobbies. Gerontologists recommend elderly people to exercise. Walking, running and swimming contribute to the production of endorphins – "hormones of happiness". They help normalize biochemical processes in the nervous system and improve mood, explains Professor Ryzhak.

The finest hour of gerontologistsThere are more and more institutes of gerontology in the world.

Russian specialists have been actively synthesizing anti-aging drugs for many years. Thus, the director of the Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology of Moscow State University, Vladimir Skulachev, has developed ions that slow down age-related changes and defeat some senile diseases. And peptide bioregulators have been on the market for quite a long time. Many of these anti-aging drugs are well known. One of their developers was Vladimir Havinson.

Not so long ago, the program "The Future of Aging Research in Europe: a roadmap" was presented in Brussels. By the way, the main emphasis is placed in it on active longevity and ways of socialization of the elderly.

One of such measures, for example, is the creation of a new type of nursing homes, where elderly people feel comfortable, find new hobbies, and undergo art therapy. "In old age, the number of neurotransmitters – substances connecting neurons – decreases in people," says psychophysiologist Valeria Strelets. – And for normal brain activity, it is necessary that neurons necessarily communicate with each other. Emotions can trigger brain activation."

The attitude towards people of the "silver age" in society will improve sooner or later, sociologist Lilia Ovcharova expresses hope. However, this will happen when their standard of living increases. By the way, manufacturers of computers and mobile phones are partly reorienting their products to the elderly, because it turned out that among them the demand for this technique is higher than among young people. "Now we are in the process of rethinking old age," the researcher concludes.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru04.10.2012