Place of the elderly and diversity of their life situation in today’s society

According to GUS data of December 2014, the share of the population aged 65 years and above in the total population of Poland in 2013 was 14.7% (every seventh citizen of the country). Forecasts for the upcoming years are as follows: in 2020 - 18.9%, in 2035 - 24.5% and in 2050 - 32.7%. The percentage of people aged 65 years and older is called aging of the population factor. Among these people, 35.81% are rural residents. In the cities, elderly population accounts for almost 16% of the whole population; in rural areas this number is significantly smaller and accounts for slightly more than 13% of the population. However, it is expected that due to growing migration, in a short time, most seniors will live in cities. As a result, the share of the elderly will exceed 30% in rural areas, while in the cities it will come close to 35%. The majority of the elderly are women (approx. 61%). This is due to the higher mortality of men - women now live five years longer on average. Forecasts indicate that in 30 years every third citizen of our country will belong to the group of older people [1, 2].