Health of the elderly in the Russian village

Abstract

The article considers the perception of health and health-preserving behavior by the elderly rural residents. Today Russian villages are viewed as crisis-prone spaces characterized by poor infrastructure and limited access to medical care. In 2024, the authors conducted in-depth interviews with the elderly (60+) (N=42) and rural care organizers (N=23) and prepared detailed descriptions with photographs of nine villages in the Leningrad Region, Novgorod Region, and the Republic of Karelia. The elderly define their health as spatial functionality - the ability to maintain one’s home, one’s household, and oneself. As mobility decreases, the space of functionality narrows - from the village to the household, and at the last stage to one’s home and body. Despite the declining functionality, there remains a need for autonomy, and a system of external support becomes increasingly important - assistance from relatives, neighbors, medical and social workers is vital in the countryside with its crisis conditions and a required wide range of necessary assistance. The rural medical worker can play a key role as a medical care organizer provided necessary infrastructure (for example, a first aid station and a special medical vehicle with a driver). However, the presence of infrastructure does not guarantee expanded access to medical care or its improved quality, as it may be difficult to find medical personnel willing to work in the village. Thus, the health-preserving behavior of the rural elderly is a crisis adaptation tactic in which the close social circle and local community play a significant role.