Career Tips: What is comprehensive study of Gerontology?
Whether you are a qualified professional nurse who is looking to move into a more specialized field of nursing in the future, or else are someone who enjoys discovering about the princess of development of the human body from birth all the way through to death, then either way you have definitely come to the right place.
Here, for your information, is a comprehensive guide to the study of gerontology and some of the main and most prominent associated professions.
What Is Gerontology?
Essentially, gerontology is the intensive study and scientifically based research into the entirety of the life cycle of the human being. Gerontology involves the study of not only the core aging processes as humans grow and learn, but also includes individual case studies of willing participants.
Although the study of gerontology is a wide ranging and incredibly multi-faceted one, it is true to say that, fundamentally, the field of study can be proverbially broken down into three main components, as follows:
- The detailed and innovative study of and concentration on the various and ever-changing adaptations society has to make as a result of the aging population across the county, and internationally.
- The intensive study of mental, physical and social changes, and behaviors in people as they age.
- The application of both the above garnered knowledge into changing policies, and updating programs as and where necessary or advised.
Career Pathways Within The Field Of Gerontology
As the field of gerontology spans essentially the entirety of both an individual’s life and the lifespan of human beings in general, there are naturally a wide plethora of different career pathways you could choose which involves the discipline.
Following are the top four pathways in gerontology, both in the United States and beyond.
1. Grief Counsellor
The role of a grief counsellor fits firmly under the proverbial umbrella career group of mental health professionals and essentially centers around helping and guiding both individuals and groups, to both emotionally and indeed physically recover from the death of a loved one.
Typical roles and responsibilities of a grief counsellor include:
- The assessment of the needs of each client and the creation, development and monitoring of individual treatment plans
- The monitoring of the progress, both emotionally and physically, of each client and preempting any necessary or suggested changes to their treatment plan as and where appropriate
- The facilitation of family sessions, as well as with caregivers, to school them in the different stages of grief and where they fit within that journey
- Working alongside other mental health professionals, specifically involving prescription medicines and therapy sessions
- Helping their clients to overcome the loss of pets, family members and close friends, as well as helping them with grief due to miscarriage and divorce too
2. Social Worker
Another key career pathway which centers around gerontology is that of a social worker.
Social workers who specialize in such an area work to coordinate and improve the quality of care for their elderly clients to ensure their quality of life is as high as possible at all times.
Typical roles and duties of a professional and qualified social worker include:
- Writing detailed reports of each and every client they interact with, help and work with
- Conducting interviews with both the individual clients and family members
- Spending time understanding and getting to know many different service users
- Helping in moments of crisis
- Working together with other social workers as well as other professionals
- Working to strengthen the ties within the community as well as local knowledge
3. Geriatric Nurse
Geriatric nurses specifically work with older adults and the elderly who need extra care and treatment are usually nurses who have been working professionally for some time.
If you are interested in becoming a geriatric nurse, then it is advisable to enroll upon one of the most renowned and reputable acute nurse care practitioner programs which will give you key leadership skills in nursing.
Typical roles and responsibilities of a geriatric nurse include:
- The timely and thorough organization of medication and treatments
- The explanation of recommended treatment plans and medication plans to both the client and close family members
- The assessment of both the mental and physical status of a patient, and the review of the cognitive thinking abilities of each patient too
- Talking with the patient about any health concerns they may have and how they feel about any key areas they would like to discuss or else are indeed experiencing
- Educate each and every patient on disease prevention, and health and safety in the home
4. Health Educator
Finally, the fourth most popular and multi-faceted career pathway which directly involves gerontology is that of a health educator.
Essentially, a health educator works with both groups of people within the community and certain groups, such as youth clubs or groups of senior citizens, and works to find out ways of improving both health education and the health levels themselves of said different groups.
Typical roles and duties of a health educator include, but are certainly not limited to:
- Collaborating and working closely with different specialists within the health sector to set specific goals, and achieve said goals and targets regularly
- Distributing, initially designing and creating various health education aids and materials, such as notices, video, audio clips, pamphlets, flyers, posters and other images.
- The provision of all-encompassing access to various educational health resources to community agencies, governmental organizations and staff of various institutions
- The documentation of different activities, overseeing staff within different health education programs, working with volunteers, and maintaining and monitoring client databases
- The identification of partnerships based on strategic working relationships with individual stakeholders and organizations to promote health education
- The facilitation of workshops, various conferences, presentations and even holding workshops to promote education surrounding health
There are, naturally, a plethora of other careers which are just as closely associated with the study of gerontology and any are certainly a worthwhile career to consider.
