Is Gerontology A Multidisciplinary Study?

Gerontology as a field of scientific study can be traced back to the late 1800s; a time when research primarily focused on the negative attributes of aging, such as health decline. It wasn 't until the introduction of social gerontology in 1983 that researchers began to more rigorously study the psychological and social aspects of aging. In recognizing that “successful aging depends not just on the prevention of disease and disability, but also on the attainment of peak physical and psychological functioning,” (Quadagno,

At one point in our lives we all have been told to “act our age”. But what is our real age? According to Whitbourne, “Psychologists who study aging long ago dispensed with the value of chronological age as a variable to use in research. For one thing, it’s not an ‘independent’ variable because it can’t be experimentally manipulated” (2012). In other words, chronological age is arbitrary. Dr. Mehmet Oz agrees, and along with Dr. Mike Roize, they have developed an online assessment tool to help individuals determine their “Real Age.” According to the RealAge® website,

It is not easy to come up with a working definition of aging; different academics around the world defined ‘aging’ from different perspectives. Based on the collected information I have, I define aging –a multidimensional process of physiological, mental and social changes that occurred over the course of life. Though it is beyond human control, aging experiences may vary between individuals. “In the developed world, chronological time plays a paramount role. The age of 60 or 65, roughly equivalent to retirement ages in most developed countries is said to be the beginning of old age. In many parts of the developing world, chronological time has little or no importance in the meaning of old age. Other socially constructed meanings of age are more significant such as the roles assigned to older people; in some cases it is the loss of roles accompanying physical decline which is significant in defining old age. Thus, in contrast to the chronological milestones which mark life stages in the developed world, old age in many developing countries is seen to begin at the point when active contribution is no longer possible." (Gorman, 2000)

Largest among the growing populations is the age group 65 and older. This course required us to complete Dr. Woolf’s myths of aging quiz. This quiz has 25 questions all about aging issues. In our textbook, “Adult Development and Aging,” Cavanaugh and Blanchard-Fields (2011) state, “Everyone does not grow old in the same way. Whereas most people tend to show usual patterns of aging that reflect the typical, or normative, changes with age, other people show highly successful aging in which few signs of change occur” (p. 16). An analysis of Dr. Woolf’s myths of aging quiz will show several different areas to consider in regards to the

Aging, though it is usually defined as a biological process, it is also the gathered development of change with time. Aging is a continuous, complex and dynamic process that begins even before birth and ends with death. Unless death occurs at an early age, all humans grow old and experience the effects of the aging process. The process of aging does not

Something we talked about in class is that “old” is not a certain number. It is different for every person. There is no one age that means a person is aging. There are a lot of factors that go into determining if someone is aging. Physical health and mental health have a huge influence. There are so many myths about today’s old folks like they are neglected by their children. Life can be dynamic when one gets into older life, especially if kid’s lives change and become more complex. The book defines aging as, “a biological, psychological and social process, starting at birth and ending at death.” (16) In a process called life course perspective in which takes parts of the older life and connects it with earlier life experiences. There are four

In our society today, the older population is a diverse and growing group with more and more individuals reaching the life stage of late adulthood, and even very late adulthood. According to Hutchison (2015), the late adulthood stage begins at 65 years of age and continues through 85 years of age and the very late adulthood stage begins at 85 and carries through until death. During the aging process, many changes occur within the body and mind as well as family structure and social roles. Individuals who have reached these life stages today may have lived through the Great Depression, the World Wars, the Civil Rights Movement, and many other important historic events, all of which have shaped their life experiences. For

The concept of ageing has been discussed in numerous fields within the literature. Moreover, age has been explored differently in the context of geriatric journals, psychology, and social care as well as in the field of criminology. Traditionally age in itself has tended to be viewed as an empirical category, which essentially describes a biological phenomenon (Brogden & Nijhar, 2006). In fact, the concept of age is most often regarded as a medical occurrence

The term “aging” refers to a complex process of biological, physical, psychological and social changes in a person as he/ she ages over their lifetime. Typically, the term refers to older adults and takes on the meaning of the process of “getting old” and “being old”. It relates not only to how individuals live, act and perceive themselves, but also to society’s culture and perceptions, society’s policies and support systems designed for their needs - be it health care, social,

Aging is an inevitable part of the lifecycle. At some point in their lifespan, every person will experience changes that occur during the process of aging. Many changes that occur, such as loss of muscle tone, decrease in vision, decrease in hearing, and decreased bone mass, can be attributed to the natural processes that occur as you age (Robnett, Bolduc, & Murray, 2015). The progression of these changes, however, can be influenced by many factors in an individual’s life. The effects of aging on an individual are not only dependent upon genetics, but also upon their physical and social environments and their cultural, personal, temporal, and virtual contexts (Brossoie & Chop, 2015).

Although humans seem very different from one another, each human develops partly like everyone else, yet partly like no one else. Most of the time human’s attention is focused on one another’s unique qualities instead of realizing how similar humans really are. In fact, as humans, almost everyone has traveled some similar path. People such as, President Barack Obama, Joan of Arc, and Marilyn Monroe shared similar paths of life span development. Each one began to walk at approximately age one, began to talk sentences at about age four, as young children they played with toys while imagination worked wonders, and as young adults they

Aging is a universal phenomenon and humans are no exception. Gerontology deals with the psychological, social and biological aspects of aging process. A recent study shows that people aged 85 years and older are expected to augment from 5.3 million people to 21 million as the world reach 2050. In today’s world Gerontology has an enormous role to play so that the senior citizens could be analyzed and their needs may be addressed with compassion and empathy.

Maxine thought this question was quite basic. However, after much thought she stated that aging is simply "advancing in age." Upon further questioning she explained that her definition is a view of the "total process" of aging. She does not define aging in a biological, functional, psychological, sociologic or spiritual domain.

As individuals age changes occur physiologically that are part of normal aging. These changes occur in all organ systems and can impact an individual’s quality of life. The changes related to aging can be attributed to an individual’s genetic make up, lifestyle, physical activity, and dietary lifestyle. Being able to differentiate between normal changes in aging against disease process is important because it can help clinicians develop a plan of care (Boltz, Capezuti, Fulmer, & Zwicker, 2012). Creating an accurate plan of care for older adults will greatly impact their quality of life.

As aging is a stage of development that cannot prevented, the question of “can one’s aging be more successful than another?” is posed my many. Researchers continually consider the differences between aging successfully, and aging unsuccessfully. As researchers work to complete their studies, many find a reoccurring basis of successful aging. A basis of successful aging can be set including: physical health disease free, chronic illness free, mental health disease free, among many others. The only problem with this basis is the difference from person to person in terms of what makes aging successful. As individuals age, their mental state is a large predictor of how the person will age. A positive mental state about aging, will have a more positive effect on a person’s aging process. Many factors may influence the positivity of aging, such as negative aging stereotypes and discrimination because of older age. These negative aging stereotypes include but are not limited to: older adults are not as smart, older adults are angry all the time, older adults are bad drivers, older adults are isolated and never socialize. In adult aging and development, having a positive outlook on aging will lead to better mental and physical aging.