We can't stop it. Time takes its toll and we just keep getting older and older everyday. Some see it as a curse and do everything in their power to reverse or freeze its effects.
Gerontology, a 15-credit minor is a study of the exact thing many people fear: aging. According to the gerontology Web page on the BYU Web site, gerontology, "Includes biological, social, family, and psychological processes, as well as the provision of services to older people."
A certificate or a minor in gerontology can be earned at BYU, said Stacie Nicholes, gerontology program assistant.
According to Nicholes, the gerontology program has become increasingly popular among several different majors. From 2004 to August 2008, Nicholes said, the program awarded 56 minors and 104 certificates.
Devin Anderson, a communication disorders major from Richfield, is using his major to become an audiologist. Anderson said he chose to minor in gerontology because he believes it will help him understand the elderly in his career field and relate to them better. Being able to put gerontology minor on his graduate school applications will help distinguish himself from the other applicants, he said.
Anderson said the classes he is taking for his minor are helping him understand the changes that occur as we age.
"The best thing I have learned so far," he said, "is that the aging process is normal, and we should not be afraid of growing old."
While the baby-boom population might not be booming any more, many are becoming subscribers of Medicare and AARP.
According to the Census Bureau, by 2050, one in three Americans will be 55 or older and one in five will be 65 or older.
BYU has hit the demographic shift right on the nose by initiating this program.
Rachelle McRae, a public health education major from Bountiful, said she believes the gerontology program is applicable to everyone: "We all have relatives, ward members and neighbors who are elderly. Truth is, we'll likely be in the geriatric population ourselves one day. This program has helped me learn ways to make aging more graceful, from both professional and personal standpoints."
Nicholes said students who minor or receive their certificate in gerontology have a world of options open to them when it comes to choosing a job. Many students think when it comes to working with older people, they can only work in nursing homes, but there are so many other opportunities. They could become health care professionals, educators or researchers, work in and with long-term care institutions, religious organizations, various government agencies, retirement communities and business and industry companies.
Because of the wide-range of job opportunities, there are also a wide-range of internship opportunities, one requirement for the minor. The internship is required to be served with people over 55. The gerontology Web page has a list of places that need interns as well as a list of links of other employment opportunities.
Core classes, service learning classes and gerontology electives needed to fulfill the requirements are listed at gerontology.byu.edu as well as class descriptions. This is not an open-enrollment program. Applications are available in JFSB 1041.
Hailey.hammon@gmail.com
Copyright Brigham Young University 21 Oct 2008
