Jak zmieniła się starość przeżywana w polskich realiach? Perspektywa przedstawicieli pokolenia Tradycjonalistów

The article presented is a comparative perspective on the phenomenon of old age in the 1930s and 1940s as compared to the present era. The study is grounded in the findings of a qualitative investigation employing the technique of unstructured interview with a standardized list of inquiry. The research was conducted in 2022 among representatives of the Traditionalist generation, defined as individuals born between 1918 and 1945, who were 77 years of age and older at the time of the survey. These individuals, being witnesses of history, can offer invaluable insights into the transformation of old age over the past several decades. The article provides a response to the following question: What kind of old age do the respondents remember from their childhood (1930s–1940s) and how is old age perceived by them in the present day? The analysis of the collected material reveals that representatives of the Traditionalist generation hold a predominant belief that old age has undergone a substantial and positive transformation over the past decades. This transformation is characterized by enhanced living conditions for the older persons and a notably improved quality of life for today’s senior citizens, evident across multiple domains.