Gerontology

Gerontology is the study of the processes of aging and the multiple and interrelated changes that affect the biological, behavioral and social aspects of life. In addition, it includes providing services to older adults and their families, which is the practical side of gerontology.

Gerontology graduates enter the field by working directly with older persons. Their activities include developing programs for health promotion; establishing intergenerational activities for older persons in senior centers, community agencies or retirement communities; and providing direct care to frail or impaired older persons in hospitals, nursing homes or through adult day care or home care. Some professionals will counsel older persons and their families about issues of care giving, employment, death and dying, and mental health. Others will advise older persons about estate planning and investments, long-term care, and housing programs.

There are still other professionals who will work less directly with older persons, but will work on their behalf by educating others and by investigating issues in the field of aging.

Examples of their work include planning, administering and evaluating community-based services and service-delivery for older persons, and to advise business, industry and labor regarding older workers and consumers.

As the population of the United States gets older, employment prospects in the field of aging are encouraging. It is estimated that by the year 2030, there will be about 72 million older persons, more than twice the number of older persons in 1997.

Gerontology at The University of Scranton

The University of Scranton's Gerontology Program prepares you:

• to understand the process of aging, as well as to prepare you for a career in agencies and institutions serving older adults. These include area agencies on aging, family services, long term care facilities, federal, state and local government agencies, retirement communities, and business and industry, among others.
• for a liberal education with special emphasis on the development of the whole person, as well as to provide the academic preparation for advanced study in gerontology/aging studies, social work, public administration, social welfare and related fields.
• for an overview of the discipline. Courses in finance and accounting are recommended if you plan to pursue careers in administrative and/or program development in federal, state or local agencies dealing with aging services. These agencies may also require you to have basic skills in program planning and evaluation as well as budgeting and accounting. It is also vital that you have good oral and written communication skills and be computer literate.

As a gerontology major, you'll have an opportunity to get involved in the Faculty-Student Research Program, which allows you to work with faculty members on specific research topics. You can also earn up to six credits with an internship, which is designed to broaden your educational experience through practical application and work assignments.

Over the years, gerontology majors have done internships at the following:

• Adult Day Care Services
• Hospice Preferred Choice
• Allied Services for the Handicapped
• Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging
• Moses Taylor Hospital
• The Jewish Home of Northeastern Pennsylvania
• Holy Family Residence, Scranton Counseling Center and Telespond Senior Services, Inc.

Through membership in the Social Science Club, you'll get hands-on experience through volunteer work in various agencies. In addition, if you maintain a 3.2-or-better cumulative grade point average, you will be invited to join Sigma Phi Omega, an honor society which recognizes outstanding academic achievement.

Planning for College

The University of Scranton encourages a strong college preparatory program in high school with a minimum of four years of English, three years of mathematics, social science and science and at least two years of a foreign language with additional units taken in acceptable academic areas.

Outcomes

Recently, a number of gerontology graduates have found employment with the following organizations and agencies:

• Abington Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Clarks Summit, PA
• Lackawanna County (PA) Area Agency on Aging
• Primary Home Health, Inc., in Dunmore, PA
• Manor Care in Reading, PA
• Moses Taylor Hospital Extended Care Unit in Scranton, PA
• Vinfend Adult Day Care Center in Brighton, MA
• Country Meadows Retirement Community in Bethlehem, PA
• Lackawanna County Long Term Care Center in Peckville, PA
• Department of Law and Public Safety in Newark, NJ

Finding Out More

For more information, please visit us at our website www.academic.uofs.edu/department/sjc, or write us at Department of Sociology/Criminal Justice/Gerontology, The University of Scranton, Scranton, PA 18510-4605. Our phone number is (570) 941-6179 and the fax is (570) 941-4201.