gerontology

/ˈdʒɛrənˌtɑlədʒi/

Doctors and researchers who study the process of human aging call their field gerontology.

There is a slight difference between gerontology and geriatrics, which is the the branch of medicine that focuses on the health and ailments of elderly people. Gerontology overlaps with geriatrics, but it is more specifically the science of the aging process as well as the physical and psychological issues that people deal with as they get older. The word gerontology comes from a Greek root, gerōn, or "old man."

Definitions of gerontology

1. noun

   the branch of medical science that deals with diseases and problems specific to old people
   synonyms: geriatrics

   type of:

   medical specialty, medicine

   the branches of medical science that deal with nonsurgical techniques