[State support to elderly citizens: which gerontology needs modern Russia? (Part 1).]

The article discusses the causal relationship between the low efficiency of state policy in extending the period of active longevity. It is characterized by the absence of a correlation between basic and applied research in the field of aging and the use of an unsystematic approach to the development, implementation of targeted federal and regional programs aimed improving the quality of life older citizens. It is shown that the current negative situation, characterized by an aggravating decline in the quality and accessibility of state medical, social and psychological assistance to elderly citizens, is largely due to the incompleteness of existing laws and regulations in the field of their social support. The lack of both scientific justification for programs and terminological correctness allows officials to use a formalized, extensive approach when planning the development of the healthcare and social protection sectors, which do not take into account population aging. The problem of positioning gerontology as a scientific discipline that provides a synthesis of natural science, applied and socio-humanitarian knowledge, a complex of four scientific areas: biology, medicine, psychology, sociology is considered. The unity of the components of gerontology provides scientific background for improving public policy aimed on adapting socio-economic development to the demographic processes of population aging.