Gerontology is the study of the social, cultural, psychological,
cognitive, and biological aspects of ageing. The word was coined by
Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov in 1903, from the Greek γÎÏ Ï‰Î½, geron, "old
man" and -λογία, -logia, "study of". The field is distinguished
from geriatrics, which is the branch of medicine that specializes in
the treatment of existing disease in older adults. Gerontologists
include researchers and practitioners in the fields of biology,
nursing, medicine, criminology, dentistry, social work, physical and
occupational therapy, psychology, psychiatry, sociology, economics,
political science, architecture, geography, pharmacy, public health,
housing, and anthropology.The multidisciplinary nature of gerontology
means that there are a number of sub-fields which overlap with
gerontology. There are policy issues, for example, involved in
government planning and the operation of nursing homes, investigating
the effects of an ageing population on society, and the design of
residential spaces for older people that facilitate the development of
a sense of place or home. Dr. Lawton, a behavioral psychologist at the
Philadelphia Geriatric Center, was among the first to recognize the
need for living spaces designed to accommodate the elderly, especially
those with Alzheimer's disease. As an academic discipline the field is
relatively new. The USC Leonard Davis School created the first PhD,
master's and bachelor's degree programs in gerontology in 1975.In the
medieval Islamic world, several physicians wrote on issues related to
Gerontology. Avicenna's The Canon of Medicine (1025) offered
instruction for the care of the aged, including diet and remedies for
problems including constipation. Arabic physician Ibn Al-Jazzar
Al-Qayrawani (Algizar, c. 898â€"980) wrote on the aches and conditions
of the elderly (Ammar 1998, p. 4). His scholarly work covers sleep
disorders, forgetfulness, how to strengthen memory, and causes of
mortality Ishaq ibn Hunayn (died 910) also wrote works on the
treatments for forgetfulness (U.S. National Library of Medicine,
1994).While the number of aged humans, and the life expectancy, tended
to increase in every century since the 14th, society tended to
consider caring for an elderly relative as a family issue. It was not
until the coming of the Industrial Revolution that ideas shifted in
favor of a societal care-system. Some early pioneers, such as Michel
Eugène Chevreul, who himself lived to be 102, believed that aging
itself should be a science to be studied. Élie Metchnikoff coined the
term "gerontology" in 1903.
cognitive, and biological aspects of ageing. The word was coined by
Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov in 1903, from the Greek γÎÏ Ï‰Î½, geron, "old
man" and -λογία, -logia, "study of". The field is distinguished
from geriatrics, which is the branch of medicine that specializes in
the treatment of existing disease in older adults. Gerontologists
include researchers and practitioners in the fields of biology,
nursing, medicine, criminology, dentistry, social work, physical and
occupational therapy, psychology, psychiatry, sociology, economics,
political science, architecture, geography, pharmacy, public health,
housing, and anthropology.The multidisciplinary nature of gerontology
means that there are a number of sub-fields which overlap with
gerontology. There are policy issues, for example, involved in
government planning and the operation of nursing homes, investigating
the effects of an ageing population on society, and the design of
residential spaces for older people that facilitate the development of
a sense of place or home. Dr. Lawton, a behavioral psychologist at the
Philadelphia Geriatric Center, was among the first to recognize the
need for living spaces designed to accommodate the elderly, especially
those with Alzheimer's disease. As an academic discipline the field is
relatively new. The USC Leonard Davis School created the first PhD,
master's and bachelor's degree programs in gerontology in 1975.In the
medieval Islamic world, several physicians wrote on issues related to
Gerontology. Avicenna's The Canon of Medicine (1025) offered
instruction for the care of the aged, including diet and remedies for
problems including constipation. Arabic physician Ibn Al-Jazzar
Al-Qayrawani (Algizar, c. 898â€"980) wrote on the aches and conditions
of the elderly (Ammar 1998, p. 4). His scholarly work covers sleep
disorders, forgetfulness, how to strengthen memory, and causes of
mortality Ishaq ibn Hunayn (died 910) also wrote works on the
treatments for forgetfulness (U.S. National Library of Medicine,
1994).While the number of aged humans, and the life expectancy, tended
to increase in every century since the 14th, society tended to
consider caring for an elderly relative as a family issue. It was not
until the coming of the Industrial Revolution that ideas shifted in
favor of a societal care-system. Some early pioneers, such as Michel
Eugène Chevreul, who himself lived to be 102, believed that aging
itself should be a science to be studied. Élie Metchnikoff coined the
term "gerontology" in 1903.
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