an article of Cristina Roman Bleeder, Degree in psychology Today’s society is facing one of the most successful phenomena of all time: life expectancy is increasing evidently. He progressive aging of the population promotes a change in the way of attending to social needs, emphasizing preventive aspects. Interest in aging processes has occurred throughout history, although not with a scientific-technical nature. However, Human beings have always been concerned with prolonging their lives.. Birren distinguishes three historical periods in the development of aging researchwhich correspond to the birth and development of three different and key disciplines:
- Initial period (1835-1918): the development of the Geriatrics as a medical specialty dedicated to the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of the elderly. It focused on aging from a negative conception.
- Development period (between both world wars): origin of the Gerontology whose term Rybnikov coined. The object and purpose of the new discipline focuses on the causes and conditions of aging, as well as the study of behavioral changes throughout age.
- Expansion period: coincides with the development of the psychogerontology that arises as part of Gerontology. Starting in the 1960s, a reconceptualization was produced based on the biopsychosocial model.
The Psychogerontology is a subdiscipline of psychology concerned with the study of aging. (which is the process that occurs in the course of life) and the applications of that knowledge to promote well-being and quality of life of the elderly and their environment.
At the end of the 19th century, psychology began to develop as a scientific discipline. At that time, life expectancy did not reach 40 years. After Darwin’s discoveries, a branch called Developmental Psychology was consolidated, whose object of study was the development of the child to maturity.
There is no historical milestone that allows us to date the exact origin of psychogerontology. It is considered that it occurred by the union of two materials: Wundt’s scientific psychology and gerontology, as we have seen previously. In the middle of the 20th century, Hall, who can be considered the historical predecessor of the discipline, proposed aging as an object of knowledge in psychology, but it was not until the 1950s when it expanded and became a discipline.
With the birth of psychogerontology, the psychological study is extended to processes that occur throughout the entire life cycle and its changes in all areas (physical, cognitive, emotional). It emerges linked to the developmental psychology and considers the course of life the essential axis of aging. Each person is the result of an organism, behaviors and contexts, which have been modified throughout life.
Psychogerontology must not only deal with inter and intra-individual differences, but must pay attention to interactions with the environment. The study of the elderly person must be carried out taking into account the family, community and social context.
At the present time we are experiencing a demographic phenomenon to which we must adapt in every way; hence the relevance that the figure of the psychogerontologist begins to acquire. It is important to develop the subdiscipline together with the rest of the professionals of the different subjects that intervene in the field of the elderly. The advantage of acting in this way is that each expert brings to the team the knowledge and skills of his profession, and at the same time complements the others. Only with this synergy of knowledge is it possible to development and advancement of Gerontology in general, and Psychogerontology, in particular.
In the field of this branch, the preventive nature acquires great importance, since at the end of our lives there is a decline that can lead to a situation of dependency. Therefore, this aspect must acquire greater importance and promote programs, projects and studies that investigate the factors of protection for a quality agingWell, it’s not a matter of “add more years to life, but more life to years”.
Despite the importance of the discipline, today there are still public institutions, private entities and third sector organizations, whose objective is focused on the well-being and quality of life of the elderly, who They still do not have the figure of the psychogerontologist. It is necessary to disseminate and promote the development of our professional activity, which allows long-term economic savings, an improvement in people’s well-being and less use of services. Even so, we live in a delicate moment at a professional level, a large part of jobs are precarious, unstable and encourage burnout in the worker (burnout syndrome).
Our current society is heading towards a greater aging and, therefore, it is necessary to increase the supply of services related to this fact. Despite this, the figure of the psychogerontologist is sometimes omitted or presents limited ratios that do not allow an adequate development of the professional work.
Bibliography
Spanish Association of Psychogerontology. Retrieved from: http://psicogerontologia.org/informacion/ Fernández-Ballesteros, Rocío (2007). Psychogerontology: its importance as an applied field. Infocop. Retrieved from: http://www.infocop.es/view_article.asp?id=1539#inicio
Huertas, A. (sf). Psychological techniques in the treatment of the patient and her caregivers. Castilian-Manchegan Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology.
Santana Alvarez, Jorge (2016). Geriatrics, Gerontology and Psychogerontology. Camagüey Medical Archive Magazine, 20(2), 108-113.
Utopia Consultants (2017). What is an interdisciplinary team and how to make it work. Retrieved from: http://utopia-consultores.com/que-es-un-equipo-interdisciplinario-y-como-hacer-que-funcione/
About the author: Cristina Roman Bleeder
Cristina Roman Bleeder She has a degree in Psychology from the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), an Official Master’s Degree in Gerontology, Dependency and Protection of the Elderly from the University of Granada (UGR). She is a PhD student “Health, Psychiatry and Psychology” at the University of Almería (UAL) and a Certificate of Intergenerational Projects from the University of Granada (UGR).
University Expert in Neurodegenerative Diseases: “Dementias”, from the University of Almería (UAL), has extensive training in Psychological Interventions in Palliative Care and Grief Units. Currently, she is immersed in the active search for work related to the field of Gerontology.