On the issue of teaching English to older students in the aspect of lifelong learning

The article is devoted to the analysis of the issue of teaching English to the elderly. The paper reveals the main advantages of learning a global language by older people both in the context of an individual and the realization of his potential, and in a global context in comparison of the level of English proficiency and living standards. Particular attention is paid to the demographic situation in the Russian Federation and the identification of a potential target audience for the application of innovative approaches to teaching English to older people. The authors also give a generalized description of the concept and phenomena that currently exist in society and reflect the benefits that English can bring to society as a whole, namely, to increase the volume of gross domestic product in the context of an aging population (the concept of lifelong learning) and smooth out generational conflict from the point of view of such a phenomenon as ageism. Based on the analysis of statistical data, the need to promote the English language among the elderly population is established, as well as debunking the myth about the impossibility of remembering any information in old age.