5 Podcasts on Gerontology

Gerontologists Should Listen to These 5 Great Podcasts

• GeriPal – A Geriatrics and Palliative Care Podcast
• GEROS Health – Physical Therapy/Fitness/Geriatrics
• American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry Podcast
• Seniors Flourish Podcast
• The Gerontologist Podcast

Gerontology is the study of aging and the aged population, and these five podcasts on gerontology allow professionals to learn about what is new and trending in the field. These podcasts often encompass other topics, such as mental health and rehabilitation, and they cross different areas of expertise. Each of these podcasts on gerontology offers a fresh perspective for sociologists, health professionals and people who work in related fields of expertise.

1. GeriPal – A Geriatrics and Palliative Care Podcast

The GeriPal – A Geriatrics and Palliative Care Podcast is hosted by Eric Widera and Alex Smith. It focuses on hospice and palliative care services for the elderly. The hosts share recently published research as well as trends and controversies in gerontology. Some of the topics have included palliative care in nursing homes, whether or not chemotherapy should be allowed under hospice services and how to become an advocate for older adults. They also get into the cost of palliative and end-of-life care as well as legal issues around gerontology.

2. GEROS Health – Physical Therapy/Fitness/Geriatrics

In the GEROS Health podcast on geriatrics, listeners learn about physical therapy, fitness and geriatrics. The podcast is hosted by a physical therapist whose work focuses on the elderly. Some of the topics include Parkinson’s disease and the vestibular system, treating arthritis through strengthening and conditioning and lower extremity strength differences. The GEROS Health podcast is hosted by Dustin Jones, physical therapist, and is geared toward physical therapists, geriatric medicine specialists and other clinical healthcare workers.

3. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry Podcast

The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry Podcast features episodes about mental illness in the elderly. It explores issues such as how medications may work differently in the elderly and how they can interact with the other medications a person might be taking for their other age-related disorders and diseases. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry Podcast also includes information about how mental illnesses and other diseases in the elderly often have overlapping symptoms, which can make diagnosis difficult.

4. Seniors Flourish Podcast

The Seniors Flourish Podcast is for occupational therapists who work with the elderly, but it can also be useful for a gerontologist. It is hosted by an occupational therapist who interviews other occupational therapists during each episode. Some of the topics covered in this podcast include the caregiver experience, neuroplasticity after stroke and helping people with Parkinson’s disease. The goal of the podcast is to inspire occupational therapists who work with the elderly.

Related Resource: 15 Best Affordable Gerontology Degree Programs

5. The Gerontologist Podcast

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, sociologists who are specialized in gerontology often design research studies to test theories about aging and the elderly. The Gerontologist Podcast focuses on research related to the elderly and the aging process. Some of the topics covered in the podcast episodes include driving cessation and transportation needs, care in nursing homes and the use of robotic pets in dementia care.

Each of these five podcasts on gerontology has free content. Some of them get updated more frequently than others, but all of them have useful information that a gerontologist, sociologist, healthcare professional or other professionals could use in their work. Spending some time listening to one or more of these five podcasts on gerontology is a good investment of a person’s time.