[Sociological aspects of preparations for retirement as well as the spare time behaviour of pensioners (author's transl)].

On the basis of common experiences in the research cooperation in the gero-hygienic and social-gerontological fields the authors depict the sociological aspects of preparing for retirement and the spare time behaviour of old-age pensioners. The short-term preparation for retirement in the pre-retirement age of pensioners should be dealt with preferably by industrial medicine. Preparatory steps on reaching the retirement age must pass over into the territorial level. The transition to retirement age and spare-time behaviour are creative social processes in sociological respect. The sociopolitical and health measures in the USSR and in the GDR take this knowledge fully into account.