On October 24, Expoforum hosted the conference «Silver Age — the New Standard of St. Petersburg Longevity», where participants discussed the results achieved and prospects for the city’s program to support elderly residents.

The conference was organized by Social Policy Committee of St. Petersburg, the St. Petersburg State Institution «Social Services Organization Centre», and the St. Petersburg City Information and Methodological Center «Family». The event began with a musical performance by the vocal and choral ensemble «Nadezhda» of the St. Petersburg State Educational Institution Integrated Center for Social Services of the Admiralteysky District of St. Petersburg.

The Commissioner for Human Rights in St. Petersburg, Svetlana Agapitova, awarded the winners of the III contest of stories about outstanding residents of the city of 60+ «My years are my wealth». The competition was held for the first time within the framework of the International Forum «The Senior Generation».

«Some of the heroes of the stories went through the war, some survived the blockade. But despite the difficulties and difficult life path, despite their age, these people continue to radiate optimism and actively participate in public life. Where to talk about such people, if not at the forum «The Senior Generation», Svetlana Agapitova emphasized.

Galina Kolosova, First Deputy Chairman of the St. Petersburg Committee on Social Policy, noted that the finalists of the competition and participants of the St. Petersburg Silver Age program are the ambassadors of this project, an example of how to live to be leaders of your social groups at any age. According to Galina Kolosova, St. Petersburg’s longevity is based on knowledge, sport, and creativity. She said that the Silver Age project is currently in the process of forming and consolidating standards for supporting elderly citizens and developing modern social services.

Dmitry Yavorsky, Head of the Department for Coordination of activities of subordinate institutions and Development of Social Protection Institutions of the St. Petersburg Committee on Social Policy, informed the conference participants about how the infrastructure of urban programs for the older generation of Petersburgers is developing. A part of the mentioned project, it is planned to open four citywide Silver Age centers, which can be visited by elderly citizens without reference to their place of residence, and 18 district centers.

The importance of comprehensive support for women during menopause: on the physical, emotional and psychological levels was highlighted by Zukhra Khapayeva, Deputy Chief Medical Officer of St. Petersburg State Medical Institution City Polyclinic No. 40, who spoke at the event about the experience of creating a women’s health center, which implements an integrated approach to working with women during periods of natural age-related physiological changes.

Valentina Kozyreva, Deputy Director of the St. Petersburg State University «Information Support Center», called on the event visitors to actively take advantage of the Silver Age cards based on the Unified Card of St. Petersburg. Launched on September 1, 2024, the service allows the elderly to visit the city’s museums for 1 ruble, as well as enjoy discounts from UCP partners: pharmacies, theaters, cafes, etc. Starting in the spring of 2025, RUB 1,500 thousand will be credited to the card to pay for tickets to city and federal museums. According to Valentina Kozyreva, the city authorities are working to include sports facilities in the program so that the city’s pensioners can visit sports facilities and swimming pools on preferential terms.

But while the innovation is being prepared, elderly Petersburgers can already exercise on a regular basis, strengthening their health and leading an active lifestyle. Irina Korneeva, a leading specialist in the Department of sports and mass work of the Committee on Physical Culture and Sports of the city, recalled that currently there are 18 regional state centers of physical culture and sports in St. Petersburg, which have 700 sports facilities at their disposal, providing places for classes in 629 sections. The most favorite sports of the older generation of Petersburgers are Nordic walking, swimming, and cross-country skiing, Irina Korneeva said.

Visiting libraries remains an equally popular way to spend leisure time and maintain active longevity among St. Petersburg residents. Marina Konyukhova, Head of the Center for Business and Socio-Legal Information of the St. Petersburg State Budgetary Institution of Culture «Central City Public Library named after V.V. Mayakovsky», stated that 20% or one in five readers of city libraries are people of the older generation.

«But today people come to libraries not only to read, but also to visit them for educational, cultural and leisure purposes», Marina Konyukhova clarified.

The conference participants learned about the possibilities of the professional sociothecs of St. Petersburg, an electronic database of techniques and technologies developed and applied by social service organizations, took part in a prize draw and agreed that active longevity is an art, which all conditions are created in St. Petersburg to study and immerse oneself in.