Gerontology
Gerontology (from the Greek γέρων, geron, "old man" and -λογία, -logia, "study of"; coined by Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov in 1903) is the study of the social, psychological, cognitive, and biological aspects of aging. It 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.
Gerontology encompasses the following:
studying physical, mental, and social changes in people as they age
investigating the biological aging process itself (biogerontology)
investigating the social and psychosocial impacts of aging (sociogerontology)
investigating the psychological effects on aging (psychogerontology)
investigating the interface of biological aging with aging-associated disease (geroscience)
