Researching Ageing in Social Gerontology. Theories and Methods

In our century in connection with people's households culture changes, medical, biological, technical and other scientific progress the structure of inhabitants has changed greatly all over the world. Nowadays society's problem is ageing. The demographical situation worldwide is described as critical - the number of elderly people is increasing faster than ever before.

The ageing of populations is an international trend in which industrialised and developed countries have most experience, but by the middle of the next century this experience will be worldwide.1 Europe has the most problematic situation in the world with ageing. Fertility and mortality rates are declining2 and demographical data show that in the society's structure in Europe the proportion of old people is increasing very fast3. Life expectation became longer quickly in the twentieth century and the proportion of people who now live to be age 80 years and over has grown.…