The achievements of social policy on active longevity were discussed at the Exposition

On February 22, the RUSSIA EXPO hosted the National Achievements Forum: Active Longevity. One of the main events of the day was the plenary session "Key Results and Achievements of Social Policy on Active Longevity".

"Over the past 10 years, life expectancy at birth has increased by almost two years and is now 73.5 years according to preliminary estimates. Such an increase in life expectancy is the result of a purposeful state policy aimed at maintaining active longevity and prolonging healthy life," said Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Tatyana Golikova.

Photo: Mikhail Voskresensky/RIA News

She emphasized that thanks to the Active Longevity programs, senior citizens get an opportunity to do things they have been putting off all their lives. Thus, for those who have passed the age of 60, more than 3 thousand universities of the third age work, 6.5 million senior citizens are engaged in physical training, almost 2.5 million senior citizens are engaged in creative work, 300 communication centers for senior citizens work on the platform of the Social Fund of Russia.

Social services are being developed for those citizens who need outside help.

"Today, social services for elderly citizens are provided by more than 5 thousand state social service organizations. These are in-home assistance, developmental classes in comprehensive social service centers, care in social boarding houses. The coverage of social services for six years has increased almost 2.5 times and amounted to almost 8.4 million people. This was achieved through the development of active longevity programs, the work of mobile teams, and the introduction of new social technologies for home care, such as "inpatient home care", "foster family for the elderly", and "respite care". Schools of care are available for relatives, and since September 2023, on the instructions of the President, a system of long-term care is being developed in all 89 regions," Tatyana Golikova noted in her report.

The legal basis for accompanied housing, comprehensive rehabilitation and habilitation of citizens with disabilities has been formed.

"Last year, the most significant decision was undoubtedly the adoption in December of the Federal Law on Comprehensive Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities, aimed at defining and clarifying the basic principles of the rehabilitation and habilitation system. The principles of continuity and comprehensiveness consist of medical rehabilitation, provision of technical rehabilitation devices, prosthetic orthopedic assistance, professional rehabilitation, social rehabilitation, rehabilitation by means of physical culture and sports. We have defined the importance of sociocultural rehabilitation as the development of the creative potential of a person with a disability. I am confident that these changes in legislation will allow us to scale up the best regional practices in social rehabilitation and other areas of social integration of citizens with disabilities in the future," said Mikhail Terentyev, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans Affairs, Chairman of the All-Russian Society of People with Disabilities.

Photo: Mikhail Voskresensky/RIA News

Thanks to the national project "Demography", comfortable, family-like conditions are being created in boarding homes. Since 2019, 57 modern institutions have been put into operation. During the plenary session, Tatyana Golikova via video link opened a new building of the Sputnik geriatric center in the Kurgan region, designed for 100 beds.

The plenary session concluded with a performance of musical ensembles created in the capital as part of the Moscow Longevity project and the Ryazan State Academic Russian Folk Choir named after Evgeny Popov.