Each of us ages – with each passing day beyond the age of 30, our physical reserves slowly diminish until, at some point, the time comes when maintaining all organ functions is no longer so easily possible: the first limitations appear.
What is the science of aging?
In gerontology, the science of aging, research is conducted on current problems of old people. Gerontology is still a fairly young branch of science – the first German chair was only founded in Heidelberg in 1986. Since many problems of aging must be viewed from different angles, gerontology includes different disciplines:
- The best known is certainly geriatrics, which deals with diseases in old age.
- In addition, there is gerontopsychology and psychiatry, which researches and treats mental illness in old age.
- In addition, there are the social gerontology and gerontosociology, which are primarily concerned with social and sociological aspects.
- Another discipline is the geriatric care, which supports older people with their institutions quite pragmatically.
But other disciplines such as demography, biogerontology, psychotherapy, senior management are also represented in the four areas of “experimental gerontology”, “geriatric medicine”, “social and behavioral gerontology” and “social gerontology and work with the elderly”, which are taught at universities.
Why do we need gerontology?
People in Germany and Europe are getting older and the population figures are changing so that there are more and more older people and fewer and fewer young people. This circumstance – that is, more and more old people who are also getting older – is called double aging. The fastest growing group is the over-80s – by 2030, around 6% of the population will be over 80.
The increase in older population groups poses various challenges for our society:
- How should the working life be structured in the future?
- How should fewer and fewer working people finance the pensions for more and more pensioners?
- Does the growth of a senior economy represent a growing industry?
- Can volunteerism compensate for an unemployment of older people also in recognition?
- How must housing, offices, objects of everyday life to fit this growing population?
Regular reports on the elderly
Gerontology tries to find answers to these questions – this is particularly reflected in the so-called reports on the elderly, which must be submitted by each government in Germany since 1992 per legislative period (currently the 5th report on the elderly is being processed).
In them, independent experts present the current situation of the elderly, and the government responds to each of these presentations with a statement or concrete resolutions.
