Subfields Of Gerontology

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,

As a person ages, theirs body cannot perform the way it used to. This will cause many elderly people to loose their job or choose to go into retirement. Both of these options cause a loss in health care as well and a reduced or exterminated income. Here alone lies a reason that the elderly population is challenged. The elderly population also has a tendency to develop a chronic illness that can be life threatening if not treated or controlled properly. This means that need for health care treatments also increases. At least 40% of those over age 65 will have nutrition-related health problems requiring treatment or management (Gigante, 2012). It is important to realize that 10% of people over the age of 65 and will develop Alzheimer’s disease and 50% of those over the age of 85 will develop this disease (Gigante, 2012). More elderly African American men and women use government aid than white men and women. Therefore, this population will be vulnerable because of the lack of funding, proper health care and insurance.

Much of this timing is based on genetics, lifestyle, and access to health care. In general, people have learned stereotypes regarding the elderly. Some of these stereotypes are accurate, but they do not pertain to all the elderly population. Health care providers have come to expect changes in the elderly. However, it is important not to make assumptions, and to use assessment tools to identify changes the elderly may have encountered. Some of the areas the clinician may expect to find changes include: mobility, ambulation, nutritional intake, continence, and skin changes (Tabloski, 2014). The result of these changes includes a multitude of challenges for the elderly. It is important for the clinician to obtain an accurate functional and psychological assessment of the geriatric patient prior to deciding a plan of

Biological research is led by the Division of Aging Biology, gerontology by the Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology,

A kind of ageism I will be focusing on is the related to older adults and their treatment by healthcare professionals. The topic of ageism is what I will be exploring,

Discuss the implications for aging individuals and aging societies of (1) increasing life expectancy, and (2) increasing numbers of older persons living with chronic conditions such as diabetes and Alzheimer's disease.

As individuals age, the capability to do daily activities declines to some point in every person. Older people have a tendency to have more illnesses and disabilities than younger people. There are various changes that go along with aging and they are more than just changes in health. Social influences an older person 's risk and experience of illness. Physicians frequently conduct a social history to aid them and other associates of the health care team evaluate an individual care, needs and social support. Physicians use the social history to aid the older person and any caregivers to make plans that will enhance their well-being. Some of the questions that physicians ask ranges from family, finances, education, companionship, work history, history of suffering, losses, and coping strengths.

1. “Identify TWO (2) occupations in which you feel knowledge about aging would be useful. Describe how people in these areas might use information about processes of aging. Be specific, but brief.”

Obviously, there are some inevitable biological and psychological changes that occur with aging, and because of those changes, older adult may face some

Determined attempt to gain an understanding of the “life course” of an older adult and what it means someone who is in their older adulthood, my main question is gathering and analyzing information about their personal experience in their stages of aging. The main purpose of this paper is interview my relative grandma who is approaching her seventies. My relative grandmother was born in 1946 in Somalia. During my interview with my relative grandmother she told me that her father passed away when she was in her early teen. He was very ill for three years with heart disease. Her mother passed when she was in her middle adulthood. She had asthma for a very long time and died for it. When I asked my relative grandmother what it like is to get older

Listening will be a very big part of our responsibility as future gerontologist. We had the assignment of being a person-centered listener during week 8 and this assignment helped me be more attentive when listening. This week, we are reading The Voices of the Informants, which explores Erikson’s eight psychosocial themes in the experiences of elders moving through old age. According to Erikson, Erikson & Kivnick, “Burdened by physical limitations and confronting a personal future that may seem more inescapable finite than ever before, those nearing the end of life cycle find themselves struggling to accept the inalterability of the past and the unknowability of the future, to acknowledge possible mistakes and omission, and to balance consequent despair with the sense of overall integrity that is essential to carry on. (p.56). These are the issues that older adults faces and when we take the time to listen to the elderly, they will appreciate that someone HEAR them. According to Rogers, “If I can listen to what he can tell me, if I can understand how it seems to him, if I can see its personal meaning for him, if I can sense the emotional flavor which it has for him, then I will be releasing potent forces of change in him.” (p. 332). As we listen, we are learning because the voices of the elderly are full of wisdom as we see when we read the Voice of the Informants. Sometimes the answers to the questions we have about that person is in the stories they tell. I often ask myself how I can prepare myself to be a great gerontologist, the answer lies in being a great listener and learning

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.

Gerotranscendence theory is a theory that as someone reaches old age, he or she see their inner self as a positive characteristic and begin to explore their inner selves rather than focus on the materialistic views of the world (Hooyman & Kiyak, 2011). Some values of this theory include solitude and contemplation in old age. Also, some characteristics for this theory include wisdom, purpose, and self-acceptance. For people who do not prefer this theory, they believe that this theory does not include a historical and cultural context for aging to occur and the theory should include a theoretical perspective to encompass more elders.

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.

Upon starting this Gerontology course, I was overwhelmed with the course expectations, having to complete an Older Adult Review project, weekly discussion board posts and comments with precise APA format (which I was horrible at) and lots of supplemental reading to fulfill the learning outcomes of this course. Nevertheless, I overcame all those obstacles and have obtained newfound knowledge of what it is like to age, firsthand, coming from one of my favorite patients which has cleared many of the stereotypes I had on the geriatric population. Thanks to this course and interviews with Mary, I have a better understanding of the geriatric population which will benefit my future career as a Registered Nurse.