Instead of a sofa – bachata and business: how Belarusian pensioners live, discussed in the podcast “Real Life”

Bachata at the age of 70, creating fashion collections, working for pleasure and mastering Internet technologies – the older generation of Belarusians today breaks stereotypes about old age. What helps older people to remain in demand and find themselves in new hobbies after going on a well-deserved vacation? In the new issue of the podcast “Real Life”, the head of “Alfa Radio” Vadim Shepet and the Chairman of the Belarusian Union of Women Olga Shpilevskaya discussed how the quality of life of Belarusian pensioners is changing and why their wisdom and experience remain the main value for society.

When age is not a hindrance to bachata and the catwalk, the Day of the Elderly People is celebrated in Belarus on October 1. This holiday is a good opportunity to talk about how the attitude to age in our society is changing. Olga Shpilevskaya, Chairman of the BSJ, is sure that this period can become a time of great personal discoveries, so you need to meet it with optimism and without sadness:

- When you look at how the quality of life has changed... The topic is kind, because it is associated with grandparents, with something warm and homely. I associate it with something very calm. When grandparents raise grandchildren, they do it even better than their parents. Because they have the patience, the peace, and the wisdom to give their grandchildren much more than they could give their children when they were young. I'm a thousand percent sure of that. I will not be sad to enter this age.

According to the head of the Belarusian Women’s Union, after the age of 50, life often begins to open its best pages

- After 50, the best stage of my life began. I realized that the best things happen in the here and now, in this period. And no one will convince me of this: if you took care of your health, if you have strength and are physically healthy, you can open any doors. I know women in their 60s and 70s who are just starting to dance bachata, going on trips, climbing peaks they have never been to before, parachuting, playing tennis, swimming, learning to swim at that age, creating their own beauty schools. There are no more stories of hoarding when you want gold or silver jewelry. You want a golden autumn in your soul, in your purpose, in your life.

Confirmation of these words is the studio “New I”. Women who in the past held positions of responsibility and worked in the public service joined together to create fashion collections. Today they design clothes, present them on catwalks and win international competitions. As noted by the presenters, everything depends solely on the inner mood of the person. “It is important to understand that you are useful”: why retirees choose a job – not a rarity, but a conscious choice of many Belarusians. Vadim Shepet, the head of Alfa Radio, cited data that confirm that the experience of the older generation is in demand today in a variety of areas:

- There are about 2.4 million pensioners in Belarus. This is almost one in four residents of the country. About one in five of them is still working. I would like to note that Belarus has lifted restrictions on the ability of older citizens to participate in the labor market. Today working pensioner in Belarus does not lose the earned pension, it is paid in full.

Olga Shpilevskaya added that the decision to stay in the ranks for the majority is not financial despair, which skeptics like to talk about, but a natural desire to communicate and feel needed:

- Today, a woman retires most often not because, as critics will say, there is not enough money. Trust me, that's not true. I have a good example: my mother is 73 years old. I can't leave her at home. It is important for her to go to work, to be in society, to understand that she is useful, despite the fact that she keeps a garden and a private house. There are many such pensioners. It’s great that the state is meeting them. When we talk about labor shortages, we need to understand that this is an amazing resource of experienced workers who can occupy their niches and, most importantly, engage in mentoring. That is, to raise a younger generation of professionals. One of the main events of this autumn were the “silver” job fairs for the elderly and citizens with disabilities, which are held in the republic from September 28 to October 2. Vadim Shepet gave specific figures:

- Across the country, 150 such fairs are planned, where about 26 thousand free jobs from 2.5 thousand employers are offered. At the age of silver, there are difficult moments when it is purely psychologically inconvenient for a person to look for work in the same line with young guys, and here all the conditions are created specifically for them.

Olga Shpilevskaya urged not to be afraid to try yourself in a new business, where life experience just becomes the main advantage:

- Break the stereotypes and get off the couch. If you are suddenly in a mood to decide that age is coming, remember: retirement is a great time to try something that used to not have time. Even if in the past you were a high-ranking civil servant or held a good leadership position, now you do not need to think about your career. You can go to "Zelenstroy" and help plant flowers on flower beds, which are best grown by people who are wise in experience. Or go to kindergarten or become a nurse. It is work for yourself, for the soul and for pleasure. So throw away the blues and go to the job fair - see how much there is interesting. Another important topic is the continuity of generations and the attitude to the cause that young people can learn from labor veterans. Vadim Shepet is sure that Soviet hardening still remains a role model:

- This generation grew up at the crossroads of eras. They caught the Soviet era, took all the best from there and today can really teach young people a lot. People of silver age have an amazing, responsible attitude to work. They do their job so immaculately and selflessly that you wonder. Sometimes we don’t have that kind of commitment and initiative. Their experiences, attitudes, and behaviors at work just need to be copied and passed on.

To express the potential and energy of modern Belarusian women, the BSJ is launching a new republican project. Olga Shpilevskaya told how this idea was born:

- For the first time this year, we are holding a competition “Super Grandmother” to choose the best grandmother of Belarus. And I looked at this idea from a combined organization of one of our largest banks, and I saw how passionately the participants were supported by their children and grandchildren. When I looked at these women, I realized that they were filled with such vitality that would give a head start to any 26-year-old girl. In young people, as often happens: did not have time to wake up – already tired. And our grandmothers never lose heart. They have a powerful battery inside, capable of charging everyone around them. There will be 14 super-grandmothers selected in our provinces, districts and United Organizations. Volunteers from BRSM help the elderly to cope with household chores: carry heavy bags from agricultural fairs, cut wood and restore order in the yards. The leaders themselves call it a continuation of the Timur movement. Conventional physical help is followed here by the most important thing – simple human communication, which is often lacking in solitude.

Together with the youth, pensioners themselves come to the rescue. This new movement in the country is called “silver volunteering”. For example, the Red Cross employs many older men and women. They know how to sincerely empathize, feel the pain of others and help from the heart to remain in demand.

The older generation also breaks down stereotypes in the digital environment. Statistics show that 31% of older Belarusians regularly play sports, and 75% use the Internet. Olga Shpilevskaya shared a personal example:

- I can't get my dad off the internet at all. He finds useful information on any topic and has done a lot of things in the house with his own hands. When you ask him, “Dad, where does that stool come from?” Where did you see it? he replies, “I looked it up on the internet.” What to feed the plants, how to properly prune in the garden - all the advice takes there. And my mom's cooking recipes from video blogs are now preparing new dishes. They have a family internet contract.

Summing up the program, the presenters agreed that it is this inseparable bond of generations, mutual experience and support that determines the cohesion of society. Olga Shpilevskaya ended the broadcast with an emotional farewell:

- My young elderly, please get up off the couch, smile at your reflection in the mirror and let's go conquer the world. This world needs us very much, and for as long as possible in the active phase.