THE PROBLEM OF LONELINESS AMONG ELDERLY PEOPLE
The article deals with the problem of loneliness among elderly people who live in medium-sized Russian cities. It is revealed that people who moved to the city at a young age from rural areas and who have lost fam-ily ties with their elderly parents do not receive attention from their own adult children when they grow old. The empirical research is based on the data collected from the beneﬁ ciaries of the social service centers in a number of cities in the Saratov region are given. The causes of loneliness among elderly people of different age groups and ways to escape loneliness through social activities are examined. It is suggested that urban environment does not contribute to strong intergenerational bonds and narrows the circle of communication of the elderly to the employees of the social services institutions