The increase in life expectancy in Russia along with low fertility has led to the fact that the age structure of the population has undergone significant changes: the proportion of children in the total population was continuously reducing, while the share of people over 60 was growing. Such transformations have multiple impacts, ranging from the issues of financial provision of pension systems, functioning of the labor market to the change in the value orientations of society. The growth of socio-demographic groups of elderly people leads to the fact that it is becoming increasingly important for the socio-economic development of territories, thus facilitating research in the field of studying its resource potential and quality of life. The paper is devoted to the study of components of a “subjective” quality of life of the specified group of the population. The authors present conceptual approaches to the problem of an “ageing” society and specifics of studying the quality of life of the elderly. The paper substantiates the importance of sociological assessments in the study of issues typical of the elderly. The authors show the place of Russia in the international ranking of the Global AgeWatch Index and its position for all the four particular indices. Based on the findings of a sociological study, the authors highlight major problem areas that hinder the improvement of the quality of life of the elderly population, and put forward possible ways to level them. The paper considers the main normative legal acts that regulate the activities of federal and regional authorities in ensuring the decent quality of life of this socio-demographic group. The authors discuss several social projects (taking the Vologda Oblast as an example) that aim to improve the living conditions of the elderly, highlight the problems associated with the implementation and scientific substantiation of the relevance of these projects. The conclusion is made concerning the necessity of constant monitoring of the quality of life of the older generation at the regional level that, with proper management approach and accounting in strategic planning, will provide effective regulation of socio-economic development of territories in the context of population ageing
Keywords
quality of life, the elderly, secondary socialization, monitoring research