Reading

1. | PW. Read and give a title to the text. Think of the life of the elderly people in Azerbaijan and share your ideas with your classmates.

When older adults contribute to the well-being of the youth, it cultivates a sense of purpose and is beneficial in both ways. Such relationships are important for society. They can help and ensure children and teens receive the kind of attention and mentoring that they often lack, especially among the most vulnerable population. These relationships also offer older adults opportunities to learn about new technology and trends, and experience the excitement of seeing the world through a younger perspective. Laura Carstensen, a Stanford psychology professor and the director of the Stanford Center for Longevity, who led the report said, “There is a growing reason to think that beliefs that older population consume would go to the youth, and older people may be just the resource that children need.”Carstensen’s prior research has found that as people get older, their brains actually improve in many ways, including in complex problem-solving and emotional skills. “It is a huge loss for society not to offer such council and experience to others, especially to young people,” she said.

The aging population has “distinctive qualities to meet the needs of youth,” she and her co-authors wrote. “Older adults are exceptionally suited to meet these needs,because they welcome meaningful, productive activity and engagement. They need and seek purpose in their lives.” Older people benefit as well, experiencing emotional satisfaction in relationships with young people. One way to achieve such contact is through volunteer service. From a societal* view, these interactions are positive, too.

“Focusing volunteer efforts on young people improves their (young people’s) chances of success in life,” Carstensen said. “These mutual benefits are perhaps the most compelling reasons for programs that connect the young and the old.”

*societal - relating to the society