Golden time: Russia has prepared new measures to support senior citizens
Russia has developed a strategy aimed at steadily increasing the length, standard and quality of life among the older generation. The action plan for its implementation has already been approved by the Government. The document can become a real guide to action when working with older citizens, experts say. Whether the strategy will help improve the lives of elderly Russians is in the Izvestia article.
Strategies for actions in the interests of older citizens: what is it
The Government has defined a list of actions aimed at a sustainable increase in the duration, standard and quality of life of older people. The decree approving the action plan for the implementation of the strategy of action in the interests of older citizens until 2030 was signed by the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin.
The government's press release notes that the work will be carried out in six areas.
The first of them is designed to strengthen the values of a multigenerational family and respect for the older generation in society.
The second direction should ensure that the tasks of protecting the health of senior citizens are solved. In particular, we are talking about the prevention of diseases and risk factors for their development. Some of the activities will be aimed at increasing the availability of medical care for older Russians, including at home. The tasks also include the introduction of new methods for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases in such citizens, improving drug provision and prolonging active healthy longevity.
The third block includes activities aimed at creating conditions for realizing the personal potential of older people and increasing their participation in society.
The fourth area of work is devoted to the development of social services for such citizens, and the fifth is aimed at improving their quality of life and financial security.
The sixth block involves the development of infrastructure for a comfortable and safe life for older Russians.
The editorial board of Izvestia sent a request to the Ministry of Labor of the Russian Federation. No response has been received at the time of publication.
A course for real change until 2030
The comprehensive action plan for the implementation of the strategy of actions in the interests of older citizens until 2030 is a significant step in the systematic work to support older citizens, the Popular Front expert is convinced. Analytics" by Sergey Voityuk.
The document contains significant potential for positive changes aimed at reducing the dependence of senior citizens on outside help, increasing the duration and improving the quality of human life and reducing the burden on relatives.
The strategy and action plan for its implementation are modern and useful documents, said Elizaveta Oleskina, director of the charity foundation "Old Age in Joy".
— They reflect the trends that have emerged in modern society against the background of increasing life expectancy. Old age has become a big part of life, and at this time everyone begins to take care of its quality, improving health, finances and social activity," says the interlocutor of Izvestia.
The demographic trend towards an increase in the number of older people requires well-thought-out and systematic solutions from the state, State Duma deputy Kaplan Panes emphasizes.
— The plan creates the basis for such work, but its effectiveness will depend entirely on the quality of practical implementation at all levels, as well as on the completeness of financial support and public control. It is important that the approval of the document is followed by real changes in the life of every elderly person, especially in rural areas, where access to services is often limited, — says the parliamentarian.
The main value of the new plan lies in its complexity, Senator Oleg Golov believes.
— We are moving away from the perception of supporting the elderly only in the form of pensions and benefits. The government offers a systematic approach, from healthcare and long-term care to socialization and mentoring. The state aims not just to prolong life, but to ensure "active longevity," which changes the very philosophy of social policy. If all the points of the plan are implemented on the ground with high quality, we will see a real change in the social well—being of our citizens of the "silver age," he expects.
Not just a document
Valery Ryazansky, Chairman of the Union of Pensioners of Russia, highlights intergenerational cooperation among the key support measures provided for in the plan. Strengthening the value of a multigenerational family and involving senior citizens in the life of society is important from a public point of view, Oleg Golov clarifies.
— The older generation should not be perceived only as an object of social care. This is a colossal human capital, and the elderly are the bearers of unique experience and wisdom. Events aimed at making them feel in demand, being able to share the experience of young people and lead an active social life are no less important than financial support," the senator says.
Of particular importance, according to Ryazansky, are measures to preserve the health of older people, the main of which are the provision of medicines to citizens and the development of geriatrics.
— According to the plan, there will be many activities aimed at the development of gerontology centers, the creation of special rooms in medical institutions of various levels. I would call this part of the plan the largest, because the development of gerontological treatment methods requires the creation of qualified personnel, which we do not yet have in sufficient numbers," the Izvestia interlocutor points out
It is important to pay special attention to the need to develop geriatric care, Kaplan Panes is convinced. In particular, an important part of the plan is to provide people over the age of 70 with special beds and expand the practice of telemedicine consultations in the geriatrics field.
Sergey Voityuk also considers it important that the plan includes a set of measures to improve the availability and quality of medical care. The expert recalls that last year, 13.5 million visits were made to provide medical care at home. This indicates that such a support measure is in demand.
Two other factors are also significant: maintaining outpatient follow-up for more than 90% of patients with identified diseases and increasing the proportion of pensioners receiving long-term care to 30.3%, Panesh said.
"Together, these measures will make it possible to more often "catch" diseases in the early stages and increase the average duration of a productive life," says Ekaterina Kosareva, managing partner of the VMT Consult analytical agency.
Ryazansky also points out the importance of combating the manifestation of such an age-related disease as dementia. Among the measures aimed at this, he refers to the support of the system of additional education in disciplines that are in demand among older people. Today, there are 3,500 universities of the third age in Russia, where older people are happy to master training programs, improve computer literacy, and learn the basics of cybersecurity, Kosareva adds.
A large block of tasks is related to culture, which provides for the development of amateur activities and participation in various clubs, Ryazansky draws attention. He calls choral singing an example.: this is an inexpensive mass occupation, available in almost any village or village.
— All these activities contribute to increasing life expectancy and the fact that people do not stay alone, — says the head of the Union of Pensioners of Russia.
And this is especially important to take into account, since loneliness after retirement can cause depressive states and deprivation, which cause a person to fade away, despite the absence of acute health problems, Kosareva warns.
Izvestia's interlocutor sees tremendous prospects in volunteer projects in which active elderly people help young parents, children and other older people.
— There are currently 310 thousand such volunteers. in Russia, but we see a tenfold growth potential," she says.
Meanwhile, Elizaveta Oleskina considers the section "Measures aimed at developing social services for older citizens" to be the most significant.
— We help the elderly when they are in really difficult situations: they cannot receive medical services, do not have food or the opportunity to heat the house due to lack of funds for firewood or coal, are left all alone or live in boarding schools. The efforts of social workers provided for in the plan will be directed at the same pain points as ours," the expert expects.
Among the important activities in this area, Oleskina highlights the development of the institute of social coordinators in hospitals and the support of caring relatives and guardians.
"This is a breakthrough, because until relatively recently, no one thought about how hard it is for families when they need to take care of their loved ones for a long time, how many destinies are crumbling, how people lack knowledge about care and where and what kind of help they can get," she explains.
Elderly Russians need more and more help every year, the Izvestia interlocutor emphasizes. The implementation of the plan will allow social services to do more work aimed at providing it.
— At the same time, we need to expand charitable assistance so that businesses understand that the elderly are not only a resource, but also a responsibility. It is important that we treat our older relatives and our future more responsibly," Oleskina urges.
Learning from experience
A positive example of working with representatives of the older generation can be seen in Moscow. The capital is among the top 3 in terms of life expectancy and is the leader of trends in the field of healthy longevity, the Department of Labor and Social Protection of the Population of Moscow told Izvestia.
— Now the average life expectancy in the capital is almost 80 years. At the same time, more than 416 thousand Muscovites crossed the 80-year milestone, of which over 60 thousand citizens celebrated their 90th birthday. And over 1,200 residents of Moscow celebrated 100 years and more," the department noted.
The city has created all the infrastructure necessary to maintain physical and cognitive health, as well as an active lifestyle, from high—tech medical care and a comfortable urban environment to the Moscow Longevity project, the department said.
Long-term care for citizens who have partially or completely lost their self-service skills can be considered one of the measures to support older people being implemented in Moscow. To this end, the city has established a social assistance service and a network of specialized inpatient facilities: social homes, gerontopsychiatric and gerontological centers.
For citizens who independently take care of people with limited mobility and elderly relatives, a "School of Kinship care" and a simulation center are operating in the capital, where professional nursing skills are practiced on modern equipment in conditions close to real ones.
A separate area of work is the institute of social coordinators in hospitals. They help patients cope with social and household issues that arise during hospitalization. According to the Moscow Department of Labor and Social Protection, the most in—demand service turned out to be the support service for patients over 65 years of age - more than 700 people use it daily.
By the way, other regions of the Russian Federation are also adopting the experience of creating social services in hospitals. Similar structures have been established in the Lipetsk and Tyumen regions, as well as in the Khabarovsk and Stavropol territories.
United front
Today, work to help elderly Russians is underway in other regions of Russia, recalls Kaplan Panes. However, its scale and quality require major changes. For example, almost 25 million older citizens underwent medical examinations in 2024, which is a good basis for further activities, he said.
— Active longevity programs are operating in all regions of the country, involving 14.6 million people. The indexation of pensions for working pensioners, resumed this year, continues, and steps are being taken to develop home—based and remote employment for those who want to continue their work, the parliamentarian says.
But the existing measures do not yet fully solve the problems of accessibility of care in remote areas and ensuring continuity between different types of medical and social support, the deputy emphasizes.
"The plan, which is the result of the joint work of the government, public organizations and experts, will become not just a report document, but a real guide to action that will achieve a sustainable increase in the life expectancy and quality of older people," Panes expects.
The situation with assistance to the elderly is already changing for the better, confirms Oleg Golov. However, it is still often declarative or fragmentary.
— The new plan is designed to "stitch" these patches into a single canvas. Today, the main task is to equalize the quality of life of the elderly, regardless of the region of residence, so that the standards of active longevity are equally accessible both in the capital and in a small village. The document approved by the government provides all the necessary tools for this," the senator summarizes.
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