Features of the Sociological Consideration of Aging and Old Age (Research Review)

Abstract

The new coronavirus infection, the general uncertainty and constant variability of the post-pandemic world have influenced transformations in the understanding of age and aging and the emergence of new perspectives in aging research and understanding of this process in the social sciences. An important issue that arose before the scientific community was the question of defining age boundaries, as well as understanding the activities of older people in the post-pandemic reality and the prospects for considering such activities. This issue is typical for both domestic and foreign studies of aging and age. As part of this review, we review the latest publications on the sociology of aging, social policy, the health of older people and the maintenance of necessary activities by older people. A total of 1,000 publications in 2022 and 2023 devoted to the peculiarities of the life of older people after the pandemic were analyzed. The key conclusions of this study show that important factors for better integration of older people into social life and overcoming the problems caused by the pandemic are: activation of social life; development of integration of older people into social life; transition to understanding the employment of older people as a multi-vector direction, which may include hobbies and its monetization, non-permanent employment or employment for pleasure and communication. The study also noted that the methodological vector of publications on aging during the pandemic will be shifted towards interdisciplinary work and collaboration of various disciplines in the framework of aging research. Also, the study notes the importance of studying the individual aspects of older people’s understanding of their age.