Introduction

The increasing number of older people in Russia and their different lifestyles, social status, health conditions and commitments became a stimulus for the development of various projects targeting seniors. The focus of the government of Russia on the development of conditions for active longevity, self-realisation and social engagements causes attention to, and the state funding of, activities for older people. The ‘Strategy of actions in interests of senior citizens in the Russian Federation until 2025’ (Government of Russia, 2016) specified the range of policy directions focused on enhancing older people’s leisure, including work on the accessibility of sports, the organisation of leisure activities to satisfy older people’s interests and needs, and the involvement of senior citizens in various forms of artistic and applied creativity.

An example of a governmental regional initiative for older people is the Moscow Longevity project, which was launched in March 2018. The project offers more than 30 types of activities for health, quality leisure and self-development free of charge, including gymnastics, foreign languages, theatre, dance, music, financial and legal literacy, and so on. People become eligible for this project when they have reached 55 (women) or 60 (men) years old, or are receiving early old-age insurance or a superannuation pension regardless of age; they should also be permanently registered in Moscow and have no medical contraindications that would prevent them from taking part in the programme. Participation in activities is free and can be requested online via the governmental service portal or in public medical institutions and social services centres. Since 2019, the government of Moscow has started to develop one more project direction in the form of Moscow Longevity centres for self-organised activities. The number of such centres reached 34 by April 2022 and allowed Moscow retirees to participate in 1,134 social clubs (Department of Labour and Social Protection of Population of Moscow, 2022). Overall, over its four years of development, more than 410,000 pensioners have participated in activities within the Moscow Longevity project at different times (Department of Labour and Social Protection of Population of Moscow, 2022). The Moscow Longevity project became a pilot project, and similar projects have expanded in other Russian regions.

Information about the Moscow Longevity project is available in various open media resources and has gained attention from academia. Research has discussed issues of project development (Kornilova, 2020) and positive changes in participants’ health and wellness (see, for example, Yudin et al, 2018; Krivenkov and Kim, 2021). Hence, additional research is required to investigate the effects and changes that have occurred due to participation in the Moscow Longevity project. This article opens a discussion based on the results of an online survey with a small group of Moscow Longevity project participants and provides suggestions for further research paths that may be beneficial for the development of projects for older people. It is also an intention to open up debates related to the effects of activities targeting older people on their participants and their influence on the conceptualisation of ageing.

Method

In February 2022, I created an online survey via Webropol with nine questions and a comment section. I approached a teacher from the project, and they distributed the link for my survey via an online messenger. For background information, I asked respondents to specify their age group and gender. Participants replied anonymously in Russian, and as a result, I collected answers from 81 completed responses and translated them into English. Participants included 76 women and five men, and of these, 29 per cent were from the 60–64 age group, 31 per cent were from the 65–69 age group, people aged 70–74 and 75–79 made 10 per cent and 4 per cent, respectively, and 5 per cent were from the 80 and over age group. Other questions were related to the activities participants engaged in, the attitudes of people close to them to their participation in different activities and the effects of those classes on participants.

Results

According to the responses, participants allocate different amounts of time to their activities within the Moscow Longevity project. The most common options were six to eight hours per week (24 participants) and two to four hours (20 participants), with other answers varying between three to four up to 25 hours per week. Respondents specified their simultaneous engagement in various activities that gave 231 selected answers. Among the activities, 58 per cent of respondents learned foreign languages, 53 per cent chose yoga and sports activities, 44 per cent did dance classes and 33 per cent drew. Other options included theatre, handicrafts, online excursions, chess, gardening, psychology, genealogy, cooking, walking trips, beauty classes (style and face building), neuro training and creative writing. Among the participants, only three were silver volunteers, though three others were considering joining silver volunteering soon. People above 55 years old may join a silver volunteer movement and being involved in different types of cultural, ecological, sport and other activities. This movement is actively supported by the government and nongovernmental organizations which has led to the rapid development of the network of regional volunteer centres, related media resources, conferences and forums on volunteering and number of events with engagement of silver volunteers.

Respondents described the reactions of people close to them about their activities, which were mostly supportive and positive. Friends, relatives and acquaintances were the initial source of information about the Moscow Longevity project for 23 participants, while the majority of participants (27 people) found out about the project through representatives of governmental centres for social services. A further 21 participants received information via media resources and social advertisements, and three participants noticed the activities of organised classes accidentally and joined in. The rest did not remember the initial source of information about the project.

Obtaining new skills/knowledge and improvements in socialisation (new acquaintances, informal meetings and positive feelings from communication) were named as among the main benefits of engagement in the project. As other research on programmes for older people show (see, for example, Evans et al, 2022), the project causes improvements in networking for participants, with the building of mutual support that encourages them to visit theatres, concerts and other public places for cultural events. Furthermore, 13 respondents confirmed that they had received opportunities to do what they had wanted to do for a long time. Participants explained that they dedicated time to their jobs and children, while the availability of time after retirement let them do things that they have been dreaming of. Some replies revealed that participation in the Moscow Longevity project was seen as a way to overcome difficult personal situations, for instance, after the loss of a spouse or while having feelings of uselessness.

During periods of lockdown, the Moscow Longevity project continued its work, but due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, many classes were moved online. Since the middle of 2021, some classes have resumed in-person participation with restrictions. By June 2022, the Moscow Longevity project has operated in both online and face-to-face formats. When answering the question of whether involvement in the classes of the Moscow Longevity project and communication with other participants from these classes was helpful during the COVID-19 lockdowns, 66 participants (81 per cent) responded positively. Thus, some participants formed informal groups and supported each other, while others mentioned that being engaged in online activities helped to overcome limitations caused by the COVID-19 lockdowns. Hence, 14 respondents mentioned that they either disliked the online format of classes or did not experience limitations. As other research has shown (see, for example, Pfabigan et al, 2022), adaptation to, and acceptance of, different forms of communication among older people differed, as did engagement in informal networks during COVID-19 restrictions.

The comment section was filled in by 57 participants. Participants shared positive comments on changes in self-perceptions and improvements in health and mood caused by participation in the Moscow Longevity project. The comment sections reveal their gratitude for having the possibility to join different activities, and eight participants directly expressed their appreciation to the organisers and the Moscow government. The majority of comments were related to descriptions of the Moscow Longevity project, more specifically, it was called ‘useful’ (17 times) and ‘needed’ (nine times).

Discussion

Projects targeting older people may affect expectations of ageing among participants because organised activities, hobby clubs, cultural events and sports may positively influence seniors’ lifestyles, well-being and community development. The described survey shows answers with positive comments about mood and daily routine, as well as the endeavour to use online services to continue participation in classes and be involved in groups. I hypothesise that such projects as the Moscow Longevity project can be considered as a solution to positively affect the perception and conceptualisation of ageing in general. The hypothesis requires further data collection, analysis and public discussion. Therefore, I would argue that senior projects provide great opportunities for ageing-related studies and the necessary data for further social policy development.

Research on changes in self-perception and health state caused by participation in specifically organised activities could help to organise the project process more effectively. The survey participants specified their engagement in physically active classes. The additional extensive research on the effects of such classes on participants’ physical and mental health would bring valid information from the social perspective. Given that a socially and physically active lifestyle decreases the risks of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease for seniors, social networking is a preserving mechanism of intellectual capabilities (Fratiglioni et al, 2004). Activities selected by a person are interlinked with their personal meanings and have their importance due to connected motivations, social interactions and emotions (Levine, 1952). Thus, such a large-scale programme as the Moscow Longevity project could provide wide-ranging opportunities to investigate the context of participation in the project in various activities and its effects on people with different backgrounds.

Also, information about the active position of people of older ages and their role as caregivers and cultural transmitters, as well as participation in mutual support and silver volunteering, may challenge the ageing-related negative stereotypes that have an impact on the social status of older people and regional social policy decisions described in previously conducted research (see, for example, Pisarev, 2004, Kienko, 2019). Besides, the conducted survey also shows another path of research investigation focused on the link between different activities in the interests of older people and their loyalty towards governmental officials. This observation requires further investigation and understanding of whether it has effects on expectations and conceptualisations of ageing. A conceptualisation of ageing that involves both positive and negative stereotypes, and includes being active agenda setters and participants in social activities, allows a person to battle against ageist attitudes (Minichiello et al, 2000).

During the COVID-19 restrictions, some participants had the opportunity to continue the classes and their networking due to online provision. The improvement of computer skills among older people has become one of the policy goals (Government of Russia, 2016). Thus, in the 65–74 age group, the share of computer users for the period from 2015 to 2019 has increased from 31.5 per cent to 51.6 per cent and Internet usage from 28.7 per cent to 56.1 per cent (Federal State Statistics Service and National Research University Higher School of Economics, 2020). Data from media providers show that the level of activity on the Internet of the 60–75 age groups has increased threefold from March 2020 to August 2021 in the Moscow region (Shelepov, 2021). Therefore, the article raises the question of whether online classes stimulate improvements in computer skills among older generations. Since some older people answered that they stopped their participation in classes, research on barriers to online usage and user-friendly features may thus benefit the further development of the Moscow Longevity project and other online services targeting older people in general. Furthermore, the Moscow government stated that online classes will be continued to provide opportunities for older people to participate in classes regardless of their current location. The tradition of leaving cities to spend time in summer cottages and be involved in gardening is very common in Russia among the older population. However, it is still little known how it affects older people’s social participation, for instance, their involvement in social activities and the Moscow Longevity project, and how policymakers consider it while setting up general policy goals to increase physical activity among older people (Government of Russia, 2016; 2021 [2018]).

The well-being of older generations is described as among governmental social policy goals (see, for example, Government of Russia, 2016); therefore, research on the effects and outcomes of state-organised activities on older people’s conditions and levels of socialisation is especially important for the further development of effective social policy. Projects targeting older people have the potential to affect local communities and influence the conceptualisation of ageing. However, research aiming to investigate changes in the level of life satisfaction, daily routines and the development of informal networking and mutual support is still lacking. Thus, further investigations of the project’s influence on participants, changes in their self-perception and effects on the image of ageing are in demand.

Conflict of interest

The author declares that there is no conflict of interest.