The Importance Of Gerontology

Gerontology is a discipline rich in topics and subject matter. It is defined as a multidisciplinary field of study that incorporates the biological, psychological, and social aspects of aging. There are opportunities for gerontologists to work as practitioners or researchers in a wide range of fields. Along with jobs related to biology, psychology, and sociology, there are gerontology fields in economics, political science, anthropology, technology, and architecture to name a few (Hooyman & Kiyak, 2011, pp. 3, 38). Every one of us is touched by the aged population in one way or another. Perhaps it is a grandparent, parent, or an elderly neighbor. Many of us have preconceived notions about the aged population that may or may not be true. The study of gerontology helps to discern facts from fiction. While the general tendency may be to lump the elderly population into one group, gerontologists see significant variances in living independently, still working, social activities and health care, as people further continue to age. They see three different groups, the young-old (ages 65 to 74), the old-old (ages 75 to 84) and the

Just as the baby boomers exploded the population of children and teens in the 1950’s and 1960’s, this same cohort is now aging and retiring thus creating a completely new set of social issues. Whereas there have been leaps and bounds in medical knowledge and technology in recent times, that has not stopped the ever-growing crisis in the prevalence of chronic diseases in people as they age. In addition, there can be no denying that Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other dementia diseases will proceed the forefront of topics concerning the growing number of older people. Aging Baby Boomers, chronic disease, and Alzheimer’s disease are the utmost pressing issues in gerontology