No matter what racial, ethnic, religious background or sexual orientation you are, there is one common bond that links us all: aging. Aging is the one process that does not discriminate and is inevitable, regardless who you are.
According to Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics, this year the Baby Boomers start to turn 65, marking the beginning of a dramatic increase in the number of older adults in the United States through 2030. In fact, they predict that our older population will double from 35 million in 2000 to 71.5 million in 2030, making up 20 percent of the population.
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No matter what racial, ethnic, religious background or sexual orientation you are, there is one common bond that links us all: aging. Aging is the one process that does not discriminate and is inevitable, regardless who you are.
According to Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics, this year the Baby Boomers start to turn 65, marking the beginning of a dramatic increase in the number of older adults in the United States through 2030. In fact, they predict that our older population will double from 35 million in 2000 to 71.5 million in 2030, making up 20 percent of the population.
That makes the continued work of researchers in the field of adulthood and aging increasingly more valuable.
The University of Akron has been very privileged to have the Institute for Life-Span Development and Gerontology, with acclaimed psychologist and researcher Harvey L. Sterns, Ph.D. as director since it was established in 1976.
Dr. Sterns is well known in the field of adulthood and aging and has published over 100 book chapters and articles in professional journals. He has received numerous awards; he even has an award named after him. However, he noted that the award he is most proud of is the M. Powell Lawton Distinguished Contribution Award in Applied Gerontology from Division 20 of the American Psychological Association and the Retirement Research Foundation awarded to him in 2004.
This Friday, Feb. 25, the Institute will be celebrating its 35th anniversary at the Martin Center with a full day of panels addressing substantially relevant topics in the field of adulthood and aging. Additionally, Bert Hayslip, Jr., Ph.D. will be the keynote speaker addressing the topic of grandparents raising grandchildren. Dr. Hayslip was previously a student of Dr. Sterns and received his doctoral degree from The University of Akron in 1975.
The Institute for Life-Span Development and Gerontology’s purpose is developing and improving programs to assist adults and older adults, to develop lifelong education programs, train individuals to work with adults and older adult populations, conduct research in adulthood and aging, and operate community service programs in the adulthood and aging field.
What makes the Institute unique is that it is not devoted to only one profession. The Institute uses an interdisciplinary approach that utilizes and integrates information from the fields of biology, psychology, sociology, family and consumer sciences, social work, physiology, communications, business administration and many more. In fact, Dr. Sterns mentioned that over 60 professors in 21 different departments currently work with the Institute.
Undergraduates and graduate students in any discipline can take classes to earn a certificate in Gerontology; to find out more about the requirements and how to incorporate the classes into your elective credits, please call the Institute at 330-972-7243 for more information and to schedule an appointment.
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