Myth Of Gerontology

Gerontology is not just substantial professionally but also individually. It is the study of the ageing procedures at the discrete and population level. It is an interdisciplinary field so the gerontologists take substantiation from biology, humanity, public policy, economics, sociology, psychology, public health. And that is what makes this field so exhilarating. Gerontologists focus on how ageing stimulates society and how society can affect the ageing process. Because of the undesirable implications connected with the term elderly they are trying to eradicate it. The term OLD may sound undeniably acceptable but it can be problematic if one tries to observe it more as there is no real definition of what establishes OLD.
But at times it becomes crucial to focus on even the pretentious things which are ignored mostly. First, myth is that it is okay to treat an older adult as if they are young as a child. This is so common that there is even a term for it, called ‘elder speak’, even if it is done unintentionally, it is not okay to talk to an older adult as if they are a child; instead, it is patronizing and disdainful. The second myth is that most of the people think that personality changes with age, which is why there are so many cranky old people out there. Again that is not correct. Personality remains somewhat stable although some personality traits might become little more pronounced in old age, so if one is a cranky person now then he/she will be a cranky old person later too. The third myth is that all older adults are sick, disabled or both, Well that is certainly not true. There are conditions related to older age and physical change takes place as people age but that does not mean that all older adults are sick and disabled. In fact, in many cases, older adults describe their health as good or even excellent. The fourth myth is that a person becomes old as they turn sixty-five. Sixty-five is fairly an arbitrary number. No one just wakes up on their sixty-fifth birthday and all of a sudden turns old. People grow old and for a lot of people old age is actually the best time of their life. The fifth myth is that old age is accompanied by memory loss and dementia. Well, memory changes do occur with age but it varies from one individual to another. Most importantly intelligence and creativity do not decline. Age might be a risk factor for dementia but it is certainly not a normal part of aging. The sixth myth is that one cannot teach an ‘old dog new tricks’. Older adults can learn new things and if