[Services for the elderly as a segment of the silver economy in the megalopolis: expert assessment. Part 1.]

The article examines the service sector for the elderly as a segment of the silver economy market. The author's classification of services provided to the elderly is given according to an expanded set of criteria. During the expert survey, medical and social services that are of primary demand among the elderly were identified. Legal services and transportation services came in second place. The underestimation of the factor of psychological support for both the aging process itself and possible concomitant processes was noted.

[Prospects for silver economy development in the Russian megapolis (part 2).]

The article presents the second part of the results of a sociological (expert) survey conducted by the authors in St. Petersburg to assess the potential demand for silver economy products and prospects for promoting the silver economy segment in the metropolis. The study has allowed us to establish that when implementing the concept of the silver economy, St. Petersburg has every chance to take a leading position in this direction and the expert community identifies three promising business niches related to the production of goods for the elderly: consumer goods, medical supplies and high-tech sector products. At the same time, the authors note that the presence of unfilled niches in the high-tech sector of the silver economy indicates potentially promising directions for the development of domestic products and IT applications specialized for older age groups of the population.

[Prospects for silver economy development in the Russian megapolis.]

The article examines theoretical approaches to the development of a silver economy in the world and the practical value of promoting its model for the Russian Federation. Based on the consideration of various interpretations of this concept, the author's definition of the category «silver economy¼ is proposed with the allocation of two vectors of its development: economy - for the elderly and the elderly - for the economy. The purpose of the study was to assess the potential demand for silver economy products: in accordance with it, the paper presents the results of a specific sociological (expert) survey conducted by the authors in St. Petersburg. The conducted research allowed us to establish that the awareness of the involved expert community regarding the production of specialized goods for the elderly population in St. Petersburg is generally low; the range of specialized high-tech products for the elderly population is estimated as very poor, and the level of localization of the silver economy in terms of the production of goods in St. Petersburg is low.