| Why More Research? |
| The study of the aging process is much more than the study of human decline, disability, or disease. It is also the study of the normal development processes which are fundamental to life -- including creativity, life experience, perspective and judgment. The only way to gain new knowledge about these things is through research. Research is concerned with what old age will become as we eliminate disease, disability, and social adversity. Research alone cannot achieve a healthier and stronger older population; however, without it the solutions are only palliatives. |
| The value of what scientists call "basic" research is often questioned. Some seek instant cures, not trusting the long process of step-by-step basic research, considering it impractical and unrelated to human health needs. But it can be the most practical. |
| The NIA and its intramural research program, the Gerontology Research Center, continue the tradition of basic research -- seeking answers to fundamental questions. No longer is research exclusively preoccupied with diseases. The direction now is toward inquiries into normal physiological and behavioral changes with age and the effects of the social, cultural, and economic environment in which we grow old. In the years ahead, these are the paths that gerontologists will follow to achieve their goal -- an improved quality of life for all, particularly the aged. |
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