Aging Issues Since 1950
Overview
The study of aging, or gerontology, is a unique discipline that has emerged during the last half of the twentieth century. Advances in gerontology have been the result of a growing understanding of biomedical functions, behavior, and societal problems. Gerontology cuts across the major disciplines of biology, medicine, psychology, sociology, and even law to form a distinct discipline.
At the end of the twentieth century, only about 70,000 out of the 273 million people inthe United States lived to be 100 years of age. Demographers, who study populations and trends, tell us that by 2050 the number of centenarians could swell to 4.2 million. The twenty-first century could thus be known as the age of longevity. A child born today in the United States may live well into the twenty-second century. On May 31, 1974, Public Law 93-296 authorized the National Institute of Aging (NIA) to address the multi-faceted subjects of longevity and the process of aging.
Background
Fear of aging, or gerontophobia, is nothing new. The Greek poet Homer pointed out that even the gods detest old age. In her book Coming of Age, Simone deBeauvoir described a vast literature by writers—ranging from Aristotle to William Butler Yeats—who decried growing old.
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