Gerontology is a growing field and definitely where a lot of jobs are going to be in the future. As America ages it's important to understand the psychological, sociological, and biological issues of aging. I was a health policy major and as I was taking Intro to Gerontology I realized this would be a good double major combination. It fit really well academically and it's a pretty good combination for future employment.

I worked at a nursing home throughout high school. I was pretty close with a lot of the residents. One of them whose name was Jim, he was a lively character. He was a smoker, so he was always trying to get someone to take him out for a cigarette. And I can remember he'd always ask us because we weren't in the direct care department. And then there was Margaret, she was 97. She was real old but looked great. Kind of like Ruth at Longview. Ruth is 102 and she lives on her own in her own apartment. Maybe because of my past experiences at the nursing home I wasn't afraid of gerontology. 

I knew study abroad was something I always wanted to do. As a health policy major  we talk a lot about Sweden as having one of the best health care systems in the world. So I always knew that I'd like to go to a place that had a much better way of doing things. The Gerontology Institute set up the exchange with Sweden. I took a course in care of the elderly in Sweden which was very enlightening. We actually did some site visits to some nursing homes and some health clinics. The nursing homes over there were just phenomenal. I mean everyone had their own room, everyone had their own kitchen in their room, rooms were spacious, rooms were nice. So it was just a real different philosophy looking at care in Sweden as opposed to here where we try to get people into double rooms and into other types of places where we can cut costs and save money. Where in Sweden, it's really not about that it's about it's about letting people live out their last few months and years in dignity and in a nice comfortable environment.

The Institute was supportive of my attending a gerontology conference. The nice thing about gerontology is that we're such a small department that the Institute is able to help out when you come to them with a plan or a proposal that will help your education or your networking.

Consider gerontology as a good starting point for a future career. Gerontology can be a very rewarding career. Gerontology can take you a lot of places.

Definitely consider Ithaca College. We're one of the few gerontology programs in the country that offer the undergraduate degree. If you're considering gerontology, Ithaca College is a great place to start. It's an awesome place to go to school.