Generations now alive are among the first in history to be raised with the expectation of old age, forerunners of a longevity revolution that will be felt for centuries to come. Some twenty percentage of all humans who have ever lived past the age of 65 are now alive. So profound is this demographic revolution that every aspect of social life and society is affected. Of course not. The challenge is to push the field from being a multidisciplinary endeavor to being a interdisciplinary endeavor, to ultimately understanding the complex interactions between biological, psychological, sociological, and cultural processes.
Research indicates that many of the popular myths and stereotypes of old age are simply unfounded.
Seniors RAND Center for the Study of Aging . Gerontology Resources Click here for the results of a most interesting national survey, conducted in October of 1999 by the Los Angeles Times , on Americans' attitudes toward and preparations for old age and retirement, care of elderly family members, likelihood of own children caring for oneself when old, and death. And the expectations of those now entering this generation are different from their predecessors, a trend that will only intensify, experts say, as baby boomers age.