[Need for communication and the role of ageist attitudes in its fulfilment: a qualitative study of older people.].

The influence of everyday communication of older people on their quality of life and physical well-being finds more and more evidence and is confirmed by the latest researches of gerontologists. However, in the scientific literature, the attitude of older people towards communication, as well as their strategies for maintaining social connections are still poorly documented. While 19,5% of older people living alone recognize that they do not meet with relatives or friends at all, and 22,7% meet with relatives less than once a month, the social participation of older people, and in particular, their communication needs has so far been paid insufficient attention in Lithuania. This study analyzes the perception of communication by the subjects themselves - older people, as well as the variability of their rationales / attitudes in relation to supporting the desired level of communication. The analysis of semi-structured interviews (n=27) revealed a paradoxical contradiction: with a high need for interpersonal contacts, older people living alone who are still relatively healthy and active can have low social activity. Empirical data points to ageism (both explicit and latent), as well as self-ageism acquired by older people throughout life as one of the reasons for not supporting the desired level of communication and relatively weak intergenerational relations in Lithuania.