15-37. Social gerontologists do this by producing information booklets, videos, public presentations, and speeches. Geriatricians (medical doctors who specialize in geriatrics) increasingly recognize the importance of social and psychological influences when treating patients. The word was coined by Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov in 1903, from the Greek γέρων, geron, "old man" and -λογία, … However, these guidelines do not provide in-depth, specific learning outcomes for the various medical specialties. Assisting the elderly in this capacity is trying work, but rewarding. Forrester-Paton C, Forrester-Patton J, Gordon AL et al. Définition et importance pour la gérontologie sociale en Europe », Retraite et société, vol. Social gerontology is a specialization that centers on the social aspects of growing old. More than 90% of older Americans who receive care at home rely in part on informal caregivers and over 80% rely solely on family and friends. Oliver [6], a Geriatrician, noted how ‘depressingly commonplace’ ageist attitudes and comments are in the UK National Health Service (NHS), further adding that ‘education, training and received values in medicine need to change to reflect the reality of modern medical practice’ [6]. Tel: (+44) 07802 42 33 88. Within this growing cohort of older people, significant heterogeneity is observed. 2, p. 213. 14, Issue. Lastly, teaching on Social Policy is of great value, as clinicians are increasingly sought to influence and shape policies concerning the health and social well-being of older people. It was found that while teaching on Geriatrics and Gerontology had increased, it was not widespread. Surveys conducted in 2008 [9] and 2013 [10] aimed to explore how extensively the BGS guidelines had been adopted by UK medical schools. From early beginnings in research and theory, gerontology developed into a multidisciplinary field of study and, more recently, into a professional field commonly known as the field of aging. While the arguments for the inclusion of more teaching on Geriatrics and Gerontology reflect the growing numbers of older people, in this paper we argue for the greater emphasis of teaching on one of the sub-disciplines of Gerontology in medical courses: Social Gerontology. All rights reserved. These are worrying statistics. the personal and the social, and the generalised and the closely corporeal ex-periences of ageing is a rarity in the gerontology literature. Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. At the same time, we need to arm older adults with the knowledge to age successfully so they can stay engaged with life both physically and mentally. One of the main goals of social gerontology is to educate the public – including those in the media – on how older adults are as productive as their younger counterparts. A systematic review by Tullo et al. Gerontology can be defined as the interdisciplinary, holistic and wide-ranging study of older people and ageing. … Gerontology is the study of the biological, psychological, and social aspects of aging. CrossRef; Google Scholar; Burholt, Vanessa Wenger, Clare Scott, Anne Yahya, Bashar and Roy, Sibani 2000. Demography, the study of populations, demonstrates the reasons for and the importance of our ageing population and Geriatrics as a specialty. Additionally, our aging population will be a much more diverse group of individuals requiring a complex array of care and management. The 12% of older Americans today account for 26% of all physician office visits, 35% of all hospital stays, 34% of all prescriptions issued, 38% of all emergency medical responses, and 90% of all nursing home use. The collection of essays in this special issue is an important exception. This guidance aims to ensure that all newly qualified doctors are prepared for their Foundation Training. Recognising the phenomenon of population ageing, where in the next 25 years one in four will be an older person [3], the British Geriatrics Society (BGS) published guidelines in 2013 to promote the teaching of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology to all medical students in the UK [4]. This remains an important social issue that must be addressed if we are to continue our efforts in improving the well-being of the aging population. Moreover, an awareness of psychological factors such as resilience, coping strategies and health-seeking behaviours in older age is also of appreciable importance. The 2013 BGS teaching guidelines encompass all Gerontology sub-disciplines. Like other modern sciences, this field of study has an occidental origin. Considering the skills and knowledge likely to be gained from the teaching of Social Gerontology, in this paper we argue for the greater universal adoption of its teaching. Our doctors of tomorrow need to be better equipped to best care for the growing number of older patients that they will inevitably meet in their future clinical careers. The merit of the Psychology of Ageing is its particular focus on the first-hand experiences of individuals with such conditions. Journal of Aging Studies, Vol. Not only is there a need to increase the geriatric competence of our work force, there is a need to generate more interest in working with older adult as the number of geriatric specialists is declining. A call was essentially made to ensure that all newly qualified doctors possess the necessary skills, knowledge and attitudes to best care for the growing cohort of older patients. We need to recognize caregivers as integral members of the health care team and provide them with the information and support they need to take care of their loved ones. Furthermore, having such knowledge may assist medical students and doctors in identifying what services are available to the older patient. We make a firm call for the greater universal adoption of teaching on Social Gerontology in the curricula of UK medical schools. The people they study go by several names, most commonly “older people,” “elders,” and “the elderly.” To answer this question, we must first decipher what gerontology is. We propose the following methods to incorporate Social Gerontology and its sub-topics discussed previously in this paper into medical school curricula. Results from the UK National Survey of Undergraduate Teaching in Ageing and Geriatric Medicine, UK medical teaching about ageing is improving but there is still work to be done: the Second National Survey of Undergraduate Teaching in Ageing and Geriatric Medicine, 21st Century Sociology: A Reference Handbook, Systematic review: helping the young to understand the old. Getting Into Gerontology The term gerontology describes the study of aging and the treatment of conditions associated with aging. Next steps are outlined to enable students to make this important connection. KW - Gerontological social work practice. As per the Census of India (2011), India’s older population is currently 104 million and this figure is expected to rise to 300 million by 2050. According to the text gerontology is the study of the biological, psychological, and social aspects of aging, (Hooyman et al 2). Although the BGS guidelines have provided a much needed catalyst to encourage a higher adoption of teaching on Geriatrics and Gerontology, this has been predominantly, yet understandably, clinical. Gerontology is the study of the physical aspects of aging, as well as the mental, social and societal implications of aging. Most academic texts exercise scholarly distance as writers shy away from explicitly positioning them-selves in their theories or data. ‘Tomorrow's Doctors’, a publication by the General Medical Council (GMC), ensures that a core curriculum is delivered at each of these [2]. Gerontology could be adopted as a longitudinal theme running throughout all years of medical school teaching, subdivided into the sub-disciplines of Social Gerontology, Health Gerontology and the Biology of Ageing. In the field of social work, it’s known as gerontology. The field of gerontology is very broad, and there are many subfields. We also must expand our view of the “work force” focusing not only on paid professionals but on informal caregivers and older adults themselves. For full access to this pdf, sign in to an existing account, or purchase an annual subscription. Most of … Alternatively, Social Gerontology could be introduced as a subsection within broader social science or public health teaching. The constant increase in an aging population translates into a high demand for professionals who study gerontology. Burley, in 1981, stated that ‘there is a general agreement that courses in Geriatrics should include an introduction to Social Gerontology’ [8], one which we echo 34 years later. With a bit more work, social gerontology is on the cusp of a unified theory that can serve as a foundation for more complex, multiple-measured research in social gerontology. The study of aging is so important and popular that it has its own name, gerontology. Teaching interventions in geriatrics to improve the knowledge, skills and attitudes of undergraduate medical students, A New Ambition for Old Age: Next Steps in Implementing the National Service Framework for Older People [Internet], © The Author 2016. Awareness of the life course theory of ageing may additionally persuade medical students to view older people in the context of their life course, considering their life experiences and thereby avoid ageist attitudes and negative stereotypes. Gordon AL, Blundell AG, Gladman JR, Masud T. Gordon AL, Blundell AG, Dhesi JK et al. Ultimately, greater teaching on Social Gerontology may translate to a higher quality of care for older people, as the doctors of tomorrow become more person-centred and empathetic in approach. Ideally, they will be able to help older adults live active, independent lifestyles. Not only is a conc… A better understanding of older people's health-seeking behaviours may also allow doctors to communicate and interact more empathetically. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com. . Sociology, specifically social gerontology ("the area of gerontology that is concerned with the impact of social and sociocultural conditions on the process of aging and its social consequences" Hooyman and Kiyak) can be used to defeat these views and show the reality of aging. This would help ensure that the doctors of tomorrow are better equipped to manage more successfully and holistically the growing cohort of older patients. What is Gerontology and Social Gerontology? Growing numbers of older people must continue to — or return to —work because of lost retirement income, the high cost of health care or unexpected rises in their housing costs. Thank you for submitting a comment on this article. 55, no. Please check for further notifications by email. Social network type and social support among the old-old. Four key subjects within Social Gerontology stood out as having particular importance –Demography, the Sociology of Ageing, the Psychology of Ageing and Social Policy. However, in acknowledgment of the already overcrowded medical school curricula, Social Gerontology sub-topics would be perhaps best taught using a blended learning approach, using e-learning and computer technology alongside face-to-face teaching to maximize the value of contact time. 3, 2008, pp. What are the key subjects in Social Gerontology? Address correspondence to: A. Tinker. While all of the sub-disciplines of Gerontology may be regarded as equally important, the degree of overlap between these, Health Gerontology and the Biology of Ageing, makes Social Gerontology a particularly unique one. The 12% of older Americans today account for 26% of all physician office visits, 35% of all hospital stays, 34% of all prescriptions issued, 38% of all emergency medical responses, and 90% of all nursing home use. First, stereotypes, myths, and images of old age are being replaced by more factual information, such as that 'senility' is not an inevitable consequence of ageing, but due … This has important implications for future doctors both in the increasing number and proportion of older patients (aged 65+) but especially among the ‘oldest old’ (aged 85+) who often present with more complex medical needs and living arrangements. This means that while Gerontology and certainly Social Gerontology make an appearance in such guidelines, we make a firm call for the universal inclusion of Social Gerontology specifically in medical school curricula. It can be argued that Health Gerontology and the Biology of Ageing have a considerable amount of overlap—especially in the delivery of ‘Basic Medical Sciences' modules and ‘Geriatrics' clinical rotations in medical school. There are 34 medical schools in the UK [1]. In summary, while the knowledge gained from teaching on Social Gerontology is not wholly clinical in nature, it provides medical students with a richer and more holistic understanding of ageing and for the growing numbers of older people that they will treat in the future. [13] found that medical students exposed to teaching on ageing led to improved attitudes towards older patients. Email: Search for other works by this author on: Undergraduate Medical Education [Internet], The Ageing Population: key Issues for the 2010 Parliament [Internet], UK Parliament, Head of Commons Library Research, British Geriatrics Society Recommended Curriculum in Geriatric Medicine for Medical Undergraduates [Internet], Undergraduate teaching in geriatric medicine: mapping the British Geriatrics Society undergraduate curriculum to Tomorrow's Doctors 2009, Acopia and social admission are not diagnoses: why older people deserve better. Problems of old age, the process of aging heterogeneity is observed era of what have. To communicate and interact more empathetically question, we must first decipher what gerontology is new... 'S support networks in the top jobs in the curricula of UK medical importance of social gerontology in curricula. 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