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Gerontology

Gerontology is the study of the process of aging. Despite its focus on aging and older adults, gerontology is a relatively new discipline, emerging only about 50 years ago as researchers and policy makers began to recognize that substantial increases in life span would have significant implications for health, work, housing, caregiving, family dynamics, social networking, the economy, and technology as a potential vehicle for well-being.

The older population is diverse and fast-growing. Older adults vary tremendously in terms of socioeconomic status, ethnic background, family structure, level of family support, functional ability, age, and health (Cornman & Kingson, 1996). The fastest-growing segment of the older population is the 85 years-plus group. This group of older adults experiences more physical frailty and chronic illness than their younger counterparts.

Because an aging population has a pervasive social impact, gerontologists are trained to be interdisciplinary. They examine social problems and issues from many different perspectives including those of economists, political scientists, sociologists, anthropologists, psychologists, public administrators, and health care practitioners. They also rely on a variety of research methods such as surveys, unstructured interviews and observations, and physical and behavioral measurements.  

Gerontologists seek to understand and explain the many aspects of the aging experience. They research how the lack of access to economic and other resources creates inequities in the experience of aging (Hendricks, 1996). They also study how social structures and ideologies affect the experience of aging. They research the different steps that communities, families, and employers can take to help older people lead productive, meaningful lives.

By definition, gerontologists are very concerned with the role that time plays in aging. Studies that take place over an extended period of time (longitudinal studies) allow researchers to follow participants and to detect any changes that occur over time. In general, longitudinal research is expensive, labor-intensive, and time-consuming.