Certificate in Aging

Mission Statement

The mission of the Aging Concentration is to make available a cohesive offering of courses on aging to those students interested in specializing in this area. The purpose of the concentration is for students to gain a basic multidisciplinary perspective on aging, and to obtain a more concentrated and in-depth understanding of various specific aspects of this area, including:

• the epidemiology and public health of aging.
• the financing, organization, and delivery of health and social services to people who are elderly,
• the assessment of physical, mental, and social functioning of individuals and populations who are older, and
• the conducting of research on aged persons.

It is well known that the world population as well as the American population is rapidly aging. The old-old, people age 85 years and over, comprise the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population. By the year 2030 approximately one-fifth of Americans will be age 65 and older, and by the middle of the 21st century the old-old are expected to comprise nearly 5% of the total population.

The impacts on society of a graying population are already being felt. As people age their health and functional status decline and they use more hospital, physician, nursing home, and home health care services. Housing and social services requirements also increase. More resources are therefore required to meet these needs. These include a sufficient number of public health professionals, researchers and policy makers who have received specialized training relating to the health and health care of the elderly, including that of the oldest-old, who are disproportionately functionally impaired.