Elderly People and Human Aging: Foundations of an Economic-Sociological Approach

The article analyzes approaches to the study of the socio-economic nature of population aging, formed within the framework of economic sociology. In general, two such approaches are distinguished – cost and consumer-cost. The cost approach is associated with the monetary dimension of social relations, which include elderly people. The consumer-cost approach deals with natural-material forms of social relations that are associated with elderly people and their participation in the life of society. The article provides a description of the above-mentioned approaches in relation to the analysis of human aging processes. The specifics of the implementation of these approaches in relation to the problems of consumption and income of elderly people are analyzed. The article concludes that the cost and consumer-cost approaches in economic sociology are complementary and mutually presupposed in relation to the study of the problems of the social nature of human aging. This means that for a comprehensive understanding of it, it is necessary to take into account both financial and natural aspects of the interaction of elderly people with society, which in turn can help in the development of more effective strategies for supporting and integrating this category of citizens into modern society.