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Professionalizing gerontology: why AGHE must accredit gerontology programs
Anabel Pelham1, Donna Schafer, Pauline Abbott
1Gerontology Program, School of Social Work, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California 94132, USA. apelham@sfsu.edu
Gerontology & Geriatrics Education
|February 1, 2012
Summary
Higher education is not meeting the demand for aging specialists, as gerontology programs have declined. Professionalizing gerontology through accreditation and credentialing is proposed to address this critical workforce gap.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Higher Education Policy
Background:
- Societal aging necessitates a greater number of trained aging specialists.
- Current higher education institutions appear unprepared to meet this growing demand.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the preparedness of higher education institutions for the increasing need for aging specialists.
- To propose a framework for the professionalization of gerontology.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of gerontology programs in the years 2000 and 2010.
- Application of a symbolic interactionist approach to justify professionalization.
Main Results:
- A decline in the number of gerontology programs was observed between 2000 and 2010.
- Higher education's capacity to train aging specialists is insufficient.
Conclusions:
- Gerontology requires professionalization, including program accreditation and graduate credentialing.
- The Association for Gerontology in Higher Education should lead the accreditation process.
- Implementing these changes will help ensure a qualified workforce to address the needs of an aging society.
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