There are the following age periods of a person:

1. Childhood- from birth to the beginning of the period (12-13 years).

2. Adolescence(puberty) - from 12-13 to 16 years old in girls and from 13-14 to 17-18 years old in boys. This age is characterized by a sharp increase in body length with an annual increase of 5-6 cm. By the age of 15 (compared to a newborn), it triples and reaches an average of 158 cm in boys and 156 cm in girls. Body weight is respectively 48 and 49 kg. By the age of 14-15, all permanent ones appear, except for wisdom teeth. During this period, one of the most important age-related crises occurs - pubertal, which is based on a change in the function of the endocrine system of the body, which leads to the appearance of secondary, the onset of menstruation in girls and the appearance in boys. The general metabolism in the body becomes intense, but unstable, labile. The mental life of a teenager is very complex and unstable and requires great tact and endurance from teachers, doctors and parents.

3. Adolescence- from 16 to 25 years old for women and from 17 to 26 years old for men. Growth retardation is characteristic, the average annual increase is 0.5 cm. At this age, wisdom teeth usually appear.

4. Adult age- from 25 to 40 years old for women and from 26 to 45 years old for men. Period of relative stabilization of morphological and metabolic processes.

5. Mature age- from 40 to 55 years old for women and from 45 to 60 years old for men. During this period, the second most important age crisis sets in, which is especially pronounced in women. Menopause is associated with the extinction of the functions of the gonads and the restructuring of a number of hormonal systems in the body. The mental sphere and metabolism are characterized by significant lability.

6. Elderly age- from 55 to 75 years old for women and from 60 to 75 years old for men.

7. Old age- over 75 years for women and men. The general involution of the organism begins to develop.

Sometimes it is proposed to allocate a special age for centenarians for persons 90 years and older.

Accurate determination of age is essential in clinical and forensic practice. Age can be judged on the basis of data on height, body weight, number of teeth, skin condition. With age, wrinkles appear on a person's face. By 20 years - frontal and nasolabial, by 25 years at the outer edges behind the ears, by 30 years - infraorbital, by 40 years - cervical, by 55 years - on the earlobes, hands, chin. However, these criteria are all very relative.

A more accurate method of establishing age is to determine (radiographically) the so-called. Its definition is based on the patterns in ossification associated with age periods. So, for example, ossification points in the distal epiphysis of the radius appear at 12-14 months. in girls and at 16-18 months. in boys. in the distal epiphysis of the ulna at the age of 19 and 20, respectively. As a rule, a snapshot of the hand and distal bone is used to determine bone age. Knowing the time of the appearance of points of ossification and synostosis, it is possible to determine the age of a person with a high degree of accuracy.

Age periods in children... The period of childhood is characterized by the constant development and growth of the child's body. There is no strict line between the individual stages of development.

Childhood is preceded by a period in which the stage of embryonic development (the first 3 months) and the stage of placental development (from the 3rd to the 9th month) are distinguished.

The prenatal period of development is divided into several periods: 1) newborns, lasting up to 4 weeks of life; 2) infancy, lasting from 4 weeks to 1 year; 3) preschool, or nursery, - from 1 year to 3 years; 4) preschool (kindergarten period) - from 3 to 7 years; 5) junior school - from 7 to 12 years old; 6) senior school (adolescence, or puberty) - from 12 to 18 years old (see above).

The neonatal period is characterized by the incompleteness of the development of all organs and systems. During this period, the child's body adapts to the conditions of the external environment. Insufficient functional ability of various organs is the reason for the development of a number of disorders in which it is difficult to draw the line between physiological and pathological conditions (physiological and physiological weight loss and others). The newborn is extremely susceptible to coccal infection, which requires maximum care for a child of this age (see).

Breast age... For the period of infancy, the intensity of the growth and development of the child's body is characteristic, which determines a relatively large need for high-calorie food and requires proper nutrition. In case of violation of the quality and quantity of food, nutritional disorders and are possible. Due to the relative functional weakness of the digestive system, the child eats mainly dairy food. During this period, the child is also helpless and requires special care.

The first signaling system is formed in an infant. Children begin to recognize objects and faces are guided in the environment.

Rapid exhaustion of the central nervous system. requires a large number of hours of sleep and proper alternation of sleep and wakefulness.

The weakness of immunobiological defense mechanisms makes children in the first months of life more susceptible to septic processes. In 2-5 months. the child is most vulnerable to infections due to a decrease in passive and insufficient development of active acquired immunity. In infancy, the manifestation of constitutional anomalies is characteristic, most often of exudative-catarrhal diathesis (see).

Preschool age in its biological characteristics it has common features with infancy and preschool age. By the end of the first year, especially after two years, it is developing rapidly. At this age, appropriate organizational measures are required to ensure the correct regime, education, sufficient rest and further development of the child. In the preschool age, acute infections become more frequent, mainly due to insufficient production of active immunity. This requires a timely child, as well as the implementation of measures to protect the child from infection.

Preschool age characterized by great mobility of the child, his activity. Children are much more involved in sports activities.

In this period of childhood, it is especially important to properly organize outdoor games, manual labor, etc. When developing a daily routine, especially organizing walks, it must be remembered that the child gets tired very quickly with slow, non-stop walking. Household and street injuries are more frequent in preschool age; the incidence of acute infections increases significantly.

Junior school age characterized by increased muscle development, but the child's growth slows down somewhat. The child develops in the school team and lives by its interests. Physical education should be organized so that they do not tire the child, but contribute to an increase in metabolic processes and functions of all body systems.

With a significant school load, improper organization of sleep and rest, the development of neurotic reactions is possible. Primary school age is characterized by a high incidence of acute infections, diseases that are rare in preschool age appear (functional cardiovascular disorders, and others).

Senior school age... Physiologically, it is characterized by the maturation of the gonads. the gonads dramatically change the course of all life processes and affect the functional state of the nervous system. In adolescents, there are a number of shifts in (pulse instability, etc.).

Uneven mood, increased irritability, and fatigue are also noted. In adolescence, morphological and physiological features that distinguish a child from an adult gradually smooth out and disappear. The course of the disease takes on the clinical features characteristic of adults. See also .

Developmental psychology studies the facts and patterns of mental development of a healthy person. Traditionally, it is customary to divide its life cycle into the following periods:

1. prenatal (intrauterine);
2. childhood;
3. adolescence;
4. maturity (adulthood);
5. old age, old age.

In turn, each of the periods consists of several stages with a number of characteristic features.

All these stages have their own specifics associated with the level of physiological functioning, the degree of mental development of a person, his psychological qualities and prevailing desires, prevailing forms of behavior and activity.

Prenatal period divided into 3 stages:

• pre-embryonic;
• embryonic(embryonic);
• fetal stage.

The first stage lasts 2 weeks and corresponds to the development of a fertilized egg before its introduction into the uterine wall and the formation of the umbilical cord. The second - from the beginning of the third week after fertilization until the end of the second month of development. At this stage, anatomical and physiological differentiation of various organs occurs. The third begins from the third month of development and ends by the time of childbirth. At this time, the formation of body systems takes place, which allow it to survive after birth. The fetus acquires the ability to survive in the air at the beginning of the seventh month, and from that time it is already called a child.

Childhood period includes stages:

• birth and infancy(from birth to 1 year);
• early childhood (or "first childhood" - from 1 year to 3 years) - the period of development of functional independence and speech;
• preschool age(or "second childhood" - from 3 to 6 years), characterized by the development of the child's personality and cognitive processes;
• primary school age(or "third childhood" - from 6 to 11-12 years old) corresponds to the inclusion of a child in a social group and the development of intellectual skills and knowledge.

Adolescence is divided into two periods:

• adolescent (or pubertal);
• youthful (juvenile).

The first period corresponds to puberty and lasts from 11-12 to 14-15 years. At this time, under the influence of constitutional changes, a teenager forms a new idea of ​​himself. The second period lasts from 16 to 20-23 years and represents the transition to maturity. From a biological point of view, the young man is already an adult, but he has not yet reached social maturity: adolescence is characterized by a feeling of psychological independence, although the person has not yet taken on any social obligations. Youth acts as a period of making responsible decisions that determine the entire future life of a person: the choice of a profession and his place in life, the search for the meaning of life, the formation of his worldview and self-consciousness, the election of a life partner.

During the transition from one age stage to another, critical periods or crises are distinguished when the previous form of a person's relationship with the outside world is destroyed and a new one is formed, which is accompanied by significant psychological difficulties for the person himself and his social environment. Allocate small crises(crisis of the first year, crisis of 7 years, crisis of 17/18 years) and big crises(birth crisis, 3 years old, teenage crisis 13-14 years old). In the case of the latter, the relationship between the child and society is being rebuilt. Small crises are outwardly calmer, they are associated with an increase in the skills and independence of a person. During periods of a critical phase, children are difficult to educate, stubborn, show negativism, obstinacy, disobedience.

Maturity. It is subdivided into a number of stages and crises. Stage early maturity, or youth(from 20-23 to 30-33 years old), corresponds to the entry of a person into an intensive personal life and professional activity. This is the period of "formation", self-affirmation of oneself in love, sex, career, family, society.

In mature years, its crisis periods stand out. One of them is the crisis of 33-35 years, when, having reached a certain social and marital status, a person begins to think with anxiety: “Is this really all that life can give me? Is there nothing better? " And some begin to feverishly change jobs, spouses, place of residence, hobbies, etc. Then comes short stabilization period - from 35 to 40-43 years old, when a person consolidates everything that he has achieved, is confident in his professional skills, authority, has an acceptable level of career success and material wealth, his health, marital status and sexual relations are normalized.

Following a period of stability comes critical decade 45-55 years. A person begins to feel the approach of middle age: health deteriorates, signs of loss of beauty and physical shape appear, alienation occurs in the family and in relations with matured children, there is a fear that nothing better will be obtained either in life, or in career, or in love. As a result, a feeling of fatigue from reality arises, depressive moods, from which a person hides either in dreams of new love victories, or in real attempts to “prove his youth” in love affairs, or a career takes off. The final period of maturity lasts from 55 to 65 years. This is a period of physiological and psychological balance, a decrease in sexual tension, a gradual withdrawal of a person from an active work and social life. The age from 65 to 75 is spoken of as the first old age. After 75 years, age is considered old: a person rethinks his whole life, realizes his Self in spiritual thoughts about the years he has lived - and either accepts his life as a unique destiny that does not need to be redone, or realizes that life has been wasted.

V old age(old age) a person has to overcome three sub-crises. The first of them is the reassessment of one's self, which is not related to the professional role, which for many people remains the main one until retirement. The second sub-crisis is associated with the awareness of the deteriorating health and aging of the body, which enables a person to develop the necessary indifference to this.

As a result of the third sub-crisis, self-concern disappears, and now the thought of death can be accepted without horror.

Faced with its inevitability, a person goes through a number of stages. The first one is denials... Thought "No, not me!" - the usual and normal reaction of a person to the announcement of a fatal diagnosis. Then comes the stage of anger. It embraces the patient when asked "Why me?" For such a stage to come to an end, the dying person must pour out his feelings outside.

The next stage is "Bargaining"... The patient tries to prolong his life, promising to be an obedient patient or an exemplary believer, trying to prolong his life with the help of the achievements of medicine and repentance before God for his sins and mistakes.

All these three phases constitute a period of crisis and develop in the described order, there are returns to the previous stage.

After the resolution of this crisis, the dying person enters the stage depression... He realizes: "Yes, this time it is me who will die." He withdraws into himself, often feels the need to cry at the thought of those whom he is forced to leave. This is the stage of preparatory sadness in which the dying person renounces life and prepares to face death, accepting it as his last stage of life. He separates further and further from living people, withdrawing into himself - the state of “ social death”(From society, from people, the person has already moved away, as if he died in the social sense).

Fifth stage - "Accepting death"... A person realizes and agrees, resigns himself to the inevitability of near death and humbly awaits his end. This state "Mental death"(psychologically, the person has already given up life, as it were). Clinical death occurs from the moment the heart stops working and breathing stops, but within 10-20 minutes it is still possible to bring a person back to life through medical efforts.

Death of the brain means the complete cessation of the activity of the brain and its control over various functions of the body, resulting in the death of brain cells. Physiological death corresponds to the extinction of the last functions of the body and the death of all its cells. According to some religious views and the opinion of a number of scientists, with the death of the body, the soul, the psyche of a person, does not die. There is a hypothesis that it continues to exist in the form of an information clot after the death of a person and is connected to the global information field. The traditional materialistic understanding denies the possibility of preserving the soul, the psyche of a person after his death, although the latest studies of physicists, doctors, psychologists are no longer so categorical.

Gender and age groups of the population and design features of clothing

Justification and choice of processing methods are closely related to age and gender characteristics of people. A person's needs for clothing of certain shapes and sizes depend on the anatomical structure of his body, as well as on lifestyle, profession, age, etc. The shape of the surface of the human body is determined by gender, age, constitutional characteristics. Moreover, the influence of age characteristics on the shape of the human body is most noticeable. However, the influence of age affects not only the shape of the surface of a person's body, but also his attitude to the world around him, the requirements for clothing, its artistic and coloristic design, and the approach to the formation of his wardrobe.

The development and growth of the human body is not the same in different periods. Each age period is characterized by its own proportions, different parts of the human body grow unevenly.

For example head newborn is "/ 4 body length, and in an adult -" / 8. The growth of other parts of the body is more intensive: the length of the lower limbs increases 5 times, the length of the arms - 4 times, the trunk - 3 times.

From the moment of birth to early childhood, the body develops rapidly, body weight (weight) increases 3 times over this year, and the increase in body length exceeds 20 cm.

From 1 year to 3 years the growth rate of the child slows down: the annual increase in body length does not exceed 9-10 cm, and the girth of the chest is 2-3 cm. In children of this age group, the bone tissues are soft and flexible, and the muscles are weak and thin, as they grow rapidly in length. Therefore, the fatigue of the muscular system is high compared to adults. In addition, due to the higher respiration rate than in adults and its superficial nature, the role of cutaneous respiration increases. During these years, there is a high mobility, intense vital activity of the body, the result of which is increased heat transfer. These features of a developed child's body dictate strict requirements for clothes for children under 3 years old ..

Clothing should be highly hygroscopic, breathable, soft, light, without coarse and thick seams, should not constrain the child's breathing or movements. The silhouette of such clothes should be free, the fastener should be located in an accessible place and allow the child to put on, fasten and take off the product on his own. The waist is not emphasized. The waist line on dresses for girls is shifted to the chest area. On the trousers there is a belt with elastic bands, straps adjustable in length, turn-down cuffs.

In the first period of childhood (4-7 years old) there is an intensive growth of skeletal bones and an increase in body length (especially at the age of 5 to 7 years). During this period, the shape and size of the body of girls and boys do not differ. The movements of a child at this age are diverse, more complex than in the previous period, and coordination. A feature of children of this age is the lagging behind the growth of the heart and the growth of blood vessels. So the hygiene requirements for clothes for children of this age group are especially high.

Clothing should provide the most comfortable conditions for the functioning of the body. Completely excluded the use of synthetic materials, artificial leather, film materials in clothing. The use of chemical fibers is permissible only in outerwear, and even then provided that the materials are well breathable. Seams must be reliable, durable (for example, chain seams with their subsequent fixing with a finishing line).

In the second period of childhood (8-12 years old) along with an increase in body length, its mass also increases. In addition, in the physical development of children appear sex differences... The child's muscular and skeletal systems are still weak, especially the muscles of the back and spine, as a result of which children are not able to maintain the correct body position for a long time, which leads to poor posture and curvature of the spine. At this age, children are encouraged to exercise for the development and strengthening of muscles and the skeletal system, therefore, sports products that are comfortable enough, lightweight and hygienic are preferred. At this age, the growth of the trunk and chest outstrips the growth of the limbs and clothing should visually increase the length of the legs and give the figure a greater slenderness.

In adolescence age, the growth of boys and girls is uneven: girls aged 10-14 grow faster than boys. Puberty in girls causes their growth to accelerate, which begins and ends earlier than boys. The growth acceleration of boys begins at the age of 13-14, and after 15 years they surpass the girls, and this difference in length and body weight persists in subsequent periods. A developmental feature of adolescents is an increase in body length due to the growth of limbs. The rapid growth of bones leads to a lag in the development of muscles, which only stretch out as the bones grow. This causes a deterioration in the coordination of movements of the adolescent. An increase in muscle strength at this age contributes to an increase in the need for movement, sports.

Therefore, teenagers need clothes that are comfortable for playing sports; teenagers express their sympathy for sports style in everyday clothes. They prefer such types of products as trousers, skirts, jackets, sweaters, overalls. The psychological characteristics of adolescents also affect their clothes. Children at this age are aware of themselves as an independent person and, trying to keep up with others, imitate everything fashionable. They prefer bright clothes in fashionable shapes. The seams must be strong and the finishing stitching emphasizes the construction of the garment.

In adolescence the shape of the body and its proportions hardly differ from the figure of an adult. Due to acceleration, today's young men are much larger than their peers of the 60s: in chest girth - by 8-12 cm, height - by 20-25 cm. For this reason, the size and height scales for these figures include options that are the same as for adult figures. Clothing for young people is not used before their physical wear, often changes due to changes in height or the desire to look fashionable, not like everyone else. Processing methods should provide a low price of the product, combined with increased strength of the connection of parts. The colors are bright, contrasting. Clothing should be multifunctional. The unformed figure is hidden by clothes: some baggy, large volumes, an abundance of details, fasteners (buttons, zipper braid, Velcro braid). Many pockets: various types of patch pockets, briefcase pockets. Reversible clothing, use of companion materials, etc.

By the age of 18 the figure is mainly formed, but mental development at this age still lags behind physical. By the age of 20-21, young men and women acquire independence in material terms, and gradually the stereotype of an adult is manifested in their behavior and preferences. Clothing resembles adult clothing, but can be made from less expensive materials using less expensive processing methods.

The final shaping of the human figure in adulthood occurs due to muscles and subcutaneous fatty tissue. The clothes of people in adulthood should reflect the social status of a person. High-quality expensive materials, accessories, processing methods, product design, various types of finishes are used. Processing methods must ensure high quality and perfect fit of the product on the figure.

Up to 35-40 years old the figure of adults changes slightly. The change in the figure of men and women occurs later - after 50 years , and the changes concern mainly belly.

The amount of subcutaneous fat in old and old age decreases, the skin becomes less elastic, muscles atrophy, the curvature of the spine in the thoracic region increases, which can lead to the formation of a hump. Older people are often (but not always) conservative in their views. Fashion preferences of the past prevail. The colors are calm, dark. Preference is given to comfortable, durable, inexpensive clothing, which is taken into account in the design and at all stages of clothing production. The product reaches physical wear and tear. Processing methods should not increase the cost of the product. The seams must be strong and reliable.

The above age periodization reflects the morphological characteristics of people of both sexes. For the design and mass production of clothing, there is a conditional grouping of children and adults by age. Children are grouped into five age groups:

Nursery,

Preschool,

Junior school,

High school

· Teenage.

Adults are conventionally divided into three age groups:

Junior (up to 29 years old),

Middle (30-45 years old)

· Senior (over 45 years old).

Such periodization determines the choice of shapes, cuts, color composition of clothing, as well as methods of technological processing of individual parts and units of clothing. Young people between the ages of 14 and 30 make up almost 27% of the population of our country. This group is adolescent and youth, it is heterogeneous both in terms of gender and age and social composition, as well as in terms of consumption patterns and requirements for clothing. The peculiarity of this group is that it leads the most active lifestyle, reacts more quickly to changes in fashion, more boldly perceives everything new and original in clothes.

The volume and structure of the wardrobe of youth clothing change under the influence of a number of factors - gender and age differences, social status, level of per capita income, place of residence, nature of work, leisure activities, etc. Consumers of this group are steadily showing a tendency not to expand, but to renew their wardrobe. The main reason for the renewal of the wardrobe is the change in fashion, especially in the youth group aged 18-23 (mainly students and employees).

The main reason for the renewal of the clothing wardrobe of adolescents (14-17 years old - students of schools and technical universities) is physical growth. The service life of adolescents' clothing is the shortest compared to clothing of other age groups, since adolescents are more active in sports and lead a very active lifestyle and are less frugal about things.

When forming a wardrobe, young people strive to increase the number of universal, multifunctional, well-complemented products with other products, for example, jackets, skirts, trousers, blouses, jackets, sweaters.

The service life of products for adults is much longer (until complete physical wear of the clothes). Increased requirements for the quality of clothing require a more thorough justification of the model, design and processing methods.

AGE CLASSIFICATION, age grouping, distribution of the ages of people in more or less large groups, uniting them on the basis of the similarity of any social or demographic functions. It is usually applied to the entire population or large populations of people. The classification of age is based on the concept of periodization of age. Age classification allows you to separate certain age groups. Age classification criteria depend on the purpose of the study. In demography, it is preferable to classify age according to 1-year or 5-year groups; in the latter case, often (for example, when calculating short life tables), the first 5-year group is subdivided into 1-year groups due to its special importance. In the study of marriage and fertility, the marriageable ages and the reproductive age of women are distinguished. From an economic point of view, the ages are divided into 3 groups - pre-worker, worker and post-worker (pre-working able-bodied and post-working), the boundaries of which are different, the most commonly used division into 3 groups with a whole number of 5-year groups in each (0-14, 15-59, 60 years and older or 0-14, 15-64, 65 years and older). This age classification is accepted in international practice. In the USSR, planning practice uses the grouping 0-15, 16-54, 55 years and older - for women 0-15, 16-59, 60 years and older - for men. The classification of age, which is important for the analysis of the structure of labor resources, was developed by B. Ts. Urlanis. At the same time, the population is subdivided into groups of additional workers - up to 15 years old (including toddlers - up to 2, school children - 3-6 years old and school children - 7-15 years old) working - 16-59 years old (including youth - 16-24, maturity - 25-44 and late maturity - 45-59 years), after work - 60 years and older (including old age - 60-69, early old age - 70-79, deep old age - 80 years and more).

Based on the analysis of age-related changes in various organs and tissues, as well as an assessment of the body's performance by the decision of the Leningrad Conference on Gerontology (1962) and the WHO seminar on social and clinical problems in the USSR, the so-called working classification of age boundaries in the second half of a person's life was adopted. Age 45-59 is defined as average, 60-74 - elderly, over 75 years old - senile, in which centenarians stand out - people aged 90 years and older.

Attempts to propose a universal classification of age have been undertaken for a long time. So the Russian statistician and demographer of the 1st half of the 19th century A.P. Roschavsky-Petrovsky singled out the younger generation - up to 15 years old (including minors - up to 5 years old and children - 5-15), the flourishing generation - 16-60 years (including young - 16-30, mature - 30-45, elderly - 45-60 years old), withering generation - 61-100 years and older (including old - 61-75, durable 75-100 and older). The age classification, proposed in 1939 by the Demographic Statistics Section of the American Health Association, is consistent with the classifications adopted in modern international comparisons. There are 8 periods in it: infancy - up to 1 year, preschool age - from 1 to 4 years, school years - 5-14, adolescence - 15-24, years of greatest activity - 15-44, average age - 45-64, early old age period - 65-74, old age - from 75 years. There are other universal classifications of age, but none of them has now become generally accepted (see also Age).

I.V. Kalinyuk.

Demographic Encyclopedic Dictionary. - M .: Soviet encyclopedia. Chief editor D.I. Valentey. 1985.

The time of the onset of old age is extremely conditional, with an increase in life expectancy, ideas about it change.

In different periods of the history of society and in different cultures, the beginning of old age was determined as follows: Pythagoras - 60 years old, Chinese scientists - 70 years old, English physiologists XX v. - over 50 years old, the German physiologist M. Rubner considered 50 years old to be old age, 70 years old - respectable old age.

As you know, in practice, the elderly are usually considered retired people. However, this measure cannot be universal, since the retirement age is different in different countries. However, women tend to retire earlier than men. So, in our country, they have the right to receive an old-age pension from the age of 55, while men - from the age of 60. In addition, the Federal Law of December 15, 2001 No. 166-FZ (revised 05/03/2011) "On State Pension Provision in the Russian Federation" provides for differences in retirement age and for different social and professional groups. Nevertheless, in the overwhelming majority of countries of the world, citizens aged 60 and over are classified as elderly.

According to the definition of the World Health Organization (WHO), "old old" people who have retired a long time ago are significantly different from "new old", i.e. those who have recently retired. For social workers, it is important, first of all, to have comprehensive information about the contingent of the elderly and old people whom they serve. In geriatrics and gerontopsychiatry, it has become an axiom that the physical and psychological characteristics of people differ significantly over 5-year periods: 60-64 years, 65-69 years, 70-74 years, etc. Therefore, in order to obtain social information and create a data bank about the elderly and old people, it is important to know not only the demographic characteristics of a particular area, but also the picture of demographic changes in this population group.

Usually, pronounced signs of aging appear in a person from the age of 60 (the age from 60 to 75 is conventionally considered elderly). However, in fact, the aging process begins when the growth and development of the organism ends.

According to the WHO classification, age

• under 44 is considered young;
• 45-59 - average;
• 60-74 - elderly;
• 75-89 - senile;
• people from 90-100 years old and older - centenarians.

Of course, all these divisions are conditional, the exact boundaries of different periods of human life cannot be established, since it is a continuous development, and age-related changes occurring in the body are numerous and varied.

Thus, conventionally, a person is considered old from the age of 75, i.e. 15-20 years after retirement.

Juvenology (practical gerontology) has its own gradation:

• up to 30 years old - youth;
• 30-60 years old - first youth;
• 60-90 years old - second youth;
• after 90 years - third youth.

So long-livers who have retained physical and creative activity can be called young from the point of view of juvenology. In a sense, they are a model of the future.

Comparison of different age classifications gives an extremely variegated picture in determining the boundaries of old age, which vary widely from 45 to 70 years. It is characteristic that in almost all age classifications of old age, one can see a tendency towards its differentiation into subperiods. It should be borne in mind that from the moment of the onset of old age, the aging process does not end, and there are large differences between aging people.

According to the American psychologist E. Erickson, it is believed that old age is a stage of personality development, at which it is possible either to acquire such a quality as integrativeness - the integrity of the individual, or to experience despair because life is almost over, but it has not been lived as desired and planned ... E. Erickson described the crisis experienced during aging, which marks the end of the previous life path, and its resolution depends on how this path was traversed from the point of view of a person in crisis. According to E. Erickson, the main task of old age is the achievement of integrity, awareness and acceptance of the lived life and people as internally necessary and the only possible one.

Integrity is based on the understanding that life has taken place and nothing can be changed in it. Wisdom consists in accepting your own life as a whole, with all its ups and downs, in the absence of bitterness about a life that was not lived correctly and the opportunity to start it over.

English gerontologist D.B. Bromley considers human life as a set of five cycles: uterine, childhood, adolescence, adulthood and aging. The aging cycle has three stages:

• 1) removal of the department, "resignation", in the words of the author - 65-70 years;
• 2) old age - 70 years or more;
• 3) decrepitude, painful old age and death - a maximum of about 110 years (in the conditions of England and Western Europe).

Old age, according to D.B. Bromley, is characterized very succinctly: complete unemployment, the absence of any roles other than family roles, growing social isolation, a gradual reduction in the circle of close people, especially from peers, physical and mental disability.

The aging process in each person proceeds individually. However, it is important to realize that older people are an age group that has socially specific characteristics and needs.

In domestic science, the following age periodization scheme has been adopted:

• elderly age- 60-74 years (men), 55-74 years (women);
• old age - 75-90 years old;
• centenarians- 90 years and older.

Borders retirement age established by the state. When determining the retirement age, proceed from the age chronological - the number of years lived.

There are also functional age, which reflects the age-related dynamics of physiological functions, is determined by the genetic component, lifestyle, past illnesses, stressful situations, physical, mental and intellectual activity; psychological age - a group of indicators characterizing the age dimensions of the psyche; biological age- an indicator of the level of wear and tear of the structure and functions of the body.

It is noted that the distinctions for periods are conditional, since the calendar (chronological) and biological, as well as psychological age do not always coincide.

There are also normal, or physiological, and premature aging. At physiological aging the change in the basic physiological systems of the body occurs relatively smoothly: a person remains physically and mentally active until a ripe old age, and is interested in the world around him. Old age as a general biological process should not be equated with disease. Premature aging is largely due to previous illnesses, adverse effects of environmental factors, bad habits, as well as loads on the regulatory systems of the body.

The reasons for normal and premature old age are different. Natural, physiological old age develops gradually and is characterized by a harmonious decrease in all vital functions, uniformly developing atrophic changes with almost complete preservation of working capacity, cheerfulness and interest in the world around us. Such people sometimes look younger than their age.

Pathological old age, or, as it is also called, premature, is characterized by the early onset of senile changes, leading to a premature weakening of physical strength and mental activity. As a rule, age-related changes are aggravated by various chronic diseases that accelerate senility. Therefore, we sometimes note the discrepancy between biological and passport age: sometimes a young man at 20-30 looks like an old man, and an old man at 90 looks vigorous, full of energy.

The discrepancy between the state of the aging organism and the age norms necessitated the introduction of the concept of "biological age", which may not coincide with the calendar age, in particular, "ahead" of it due to premature aging. And, conversely, there are frequent cases when, for example, at the age of 70 years, the state of the body corresponds to the age norms of a 60-year-old person. Determination of biological age is of great practical importance in the prevention and treatment of various diseases, in solving issues of a rational lifestyle and work.

There are several methods for its determination, one of them was developed in Russia (L. Belozerova). When determining the biological age, a set of functional disorders in an individual is determined, which is correlated with the average indicators for a certain age. Biological and calendar ages may not coincide with each other and differ by 10-20 years. Especially often you have to meet with the phenomena of premature aging - progeria. Usually, premature aging is associated either with diseases (for example, diabetes mellitus, chronic infection, arterial hypertension), or with an unhealthy lifestyle - primarily with smoking, drunkenness. The prevailing opinion that physical activity ages a person is not true - if physical activity does not exceed the physiological norm, then, on the contrary, it contributes to a decrease in biological age.

The biological age of a particular person depends on the totality of the functional reserves of all organs and systems. The efforts of geroprotection (prevention of premature aging) should be aimed at increasing this biological age with an orientation towards healthy and active life extension - not just to live, but to live qualitatively.

Thus, in a living organism, two mutually opposite processes take place simultaneously, closely related to each other, but always balanced - creation and destruction. Creation is a complex complex of biochemical processes occurring in the body, associated with the assimilation of substances coming from the external environment and the formation of more complex chemical compounds. In this case, the destruction of the destroyed substance of the cells takes place, their renewal and, at the same time, the growth and development of the organism, of all its individual parts.

The opposite process - destruction - is reduced to the cleavage of cellular proteins and other compounds. During the period of growth and development of the body, the former prevails, during aging - the latter.

The main manifestations of aging are associated with age-related changes in the function of the central nervous system (CNS). First of all, the mobility of the processes of excitation and inhibition is weakened. The activity of analyzers is impaired, sensitivity, sense of smell, visual acuity and the force of accommodation of the eyes are weakened, the upper limit of hearing gradually decreases. There is a decrease in mental activity, a sharpening of characterological characteristics is observed, and emotional instability develops. An elderly person is afraid of any life changes, he is conservative in judgments and actions, inclined to moralizing. Lack of self-control makes a person irritable, quick-tempered, aggressive or, on the contrary, insecure, depressed and whiny. In old age, anxiety easily arises, often for a trivial reason.

Much of the troubles that plague older people are associated with psychological and social issues. Retirement after a long working life is accompanied by a sharp change in habits, life stereotypes, a painful feeling of loneliness and uselessness, a significant reduction in material resources. The impact of a sudden change in social conditions affects especially people working in a highly specialized field. People with multifaceted intellectual needs, on the contrary, rejoice at the upcoming opportunity to devote themselves entirely to their favorite work.

A sharp violation of the usual way of life is especially painful for men, since women remain with their previous daily concerns.

The critical period of retirement often coincides with the weakening of family ties between parents and children. The younger generation at this time enters a state of maturity and often does not want to put up with the manifestations of conservatism and dogmatism of older people. The reasons for small conflicts are more frequent due to cohabitation. If an elderly person has to live away from children, then the feeling of loneliness increases.

The situation of the elderly becomes even more tragic if one of the spouses dies long before the other. A lonely man in this situation turns out to be even more confused and helpless than a woman. Not having the strength to cope with the minor worries of everyday life, often without any help in everyday life, a single man gradually loses his taste for life, eats worse and completely sinks. It is quite possible that this explains the significant increase in the number of suicides over the age of 70 years.

With aging, mental disorders most often manifest themselves as neurosis-like, hypochondriacal, depressive, anxiety-depressive syndromes, pronounced sharpening of personality traits. Psychotic disorders, as a rule, are the result of endogenous, endogenous and exogenous organic and functional diseases of the brain in elderly and senile people (presenile and senile dementia, depression, cerebral atherosclerosis).

How to look into the deepest secrets of early aging? What are the secrets to a long life?

Currently, there are several hundred theories and hypotheses trying to explain the aging mechanism, but none of them provides a complete, exhaustive substantiation. Some partially explain the aging mechanisms, others are only of historical interest, and others are rejected as untenable. Ch. 2.

• Belozerova L.M. Ontogenetic method for determining the biological age of a person // Advances in gerontology. 1999. Issue. 3.