Resources for advancing family gerontology education and practice

Abstract

The unprecedented growth in the older adult population combined with increased scholarly interest in family dynamics has resulted in the gradual expansion of family gerontology as its own area of study. Consisting of both university faculty and practitioners, family gerontology educators integrate multiple disciplines in order to teach about later life families and are responsible for training diverse audiences. To increase awareness about family gerontology and encourage the advancement of this interdisciplinary field, we conducted a comprehensive review of educational resources specific to family gerontology. Our goal was to enable a wide range of educators to introduce or expand their emphasis on families in later life and to incorporate new resources, topics, and teaching strategies that promote family gerontology education. Copyright 2006 by the National Council on Family Relations.