Paradoxes of Old Age Gerontology and Social Reality in Russia

Russian society is growing old. The late phase of life was taken care of primarily by the medical profession. The image of old age was negative. Only since the 1990s has that image been in flux. That is to the credit of a social-psychological oriented gerontology. Socio-economic upheaval exacerbated social problems, but also opened up new ways for overcoming them. Today in Russia, there are social services, but their quality suffers from an inadequate legal basis, the insufficient training of personnel, and the absence of institutions needed for a civil society.