Medical Gerontology

Inclusive of the cultural, psychological, cognitive, social, and biological aspects of ageing, gerontology is a comprehensive subject which encompasses the current understanding of the complex processes involved in ageing and their implications. Geriatrics, a component of gerontology, is not simply internal medicine for the older person. It is a field that not only specializes in the healthcare of the older person but also addresses the often-present co-morbidity, disability, and need for appropriate social and environmental modifications to ultimately improve quality of life. With the steady and rapid increase in the share of older persons in the world population, the World Health Organization has declared the current period as the decade of healthy ageing. There is an emphasis on achieving a functional and independent ageing process through a life-course approach, which aims at maintaining and optimizing physical, social, and mental autonomy. This chapter further elaborates on the key aspects of the gradual establishment of the fields of gerontology and geriatric medicine and the more recent establishment of independent national and international organizations and societies that take the cause of elder care forward. The aim of this chapter is to introduce readers to gerontology and geriatric medicine while providing a worldview of the same with a regional background.