Although the National Institute on Aging predicts 70,000 social workers will be needed by 2020, a study by the NASW Center for Workforce Studies found that only 9% of licensed social workers in the United States identify aging as their primary practice area. A 2008 report of the Institute of Medicine underscored the need for gerontological social work education and training.

The John A. Hartford Foundation responded to this shortage by developing the Geriatric Social Work Initiative (GSWI) in 2000. GSWI uses several strategies to promote social work expertise in aging:

• Funding and career development support for junior faculty members
• Dissertation grants and professional development opportunities to doctoral students
• Infusion of gerontological content in social work curricula
• Advanced field placements for students specializing in aging

The John A. Hartford Foundation’s 2009 annual report celebrates the 10^th anniversary of GSWI and is devoted solely to this social work program. Visit www.jhartfound.org/pdf%20files/JAHF_2009_Annual_Report.pdf to read the report and www.jhartfound.org/blog/?cat=34 to view the Foundation’s blog devoted to geriatric social work.

Related Links

NASW Center for Workforce Studies
National Study of Licensed Social Workers (2006)
http://workforce.socialworkers.org/studies/natstudy.asp

Institute of Medicine
Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Healthcare Workforce (2008)
http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=12089

Draft available for public review and comment. Family caregivers constitute the foundation of care for older adults but often provide such care at risk to their own health and well-being. Social workers across practice settings play a critical role in supporting family caregivers at the individual, family, group, community, and organizational levels.

To view the standards and submit comments, visit www.socialworkers.org/practice/aging/standards

Please consider the following questions as you review the standards:

1. How applicable are the standards to social workers across practice levels, professional roles, and practice settings?
2. How relevant are the standards to the experiences and needs of family caregivers of older adults?
3. Are the standards easy to understand? Are there any concepts that need to be clarified?

NASW Specialty Practice Sections held a webinar providing an overview of recent research studies of compulsive hoarding in older adults, discussing ethical and legal issues, and new developments in knowledge and skills for practice with older adults who hoard. Specialty Practice Section members can view the webinar in its entirety.

Presenter(s):

• Barbara A. Soniat, Ph.D, MSW

Moderator(s):

• Chris Herman, MSW, LICSW

Excerpts from the webinar

“Where do you draw the line, when is it more than clutter?  Hoarding is an obsession or excessive acquiring.  When you have an obsessive acquiring or excessive acquiring coupled with difficulty discarding materials, that results in inability to use the space for its intended purpose…”

“We have recently seen a lot of attention from the media, and as well as in clinical and research literature about hoarding.  The severity of hoarding behaviors range from mild to severe, at its most severe level, we’ve seen hoarding result in serious injury and in some instances death of people…”

Questions Raised:

1. What causes hoarding?
2. Is there a connection between hoarding and anxiety disorders or OCD?
3. Why does hoarding seem more prevalent in older adults?
4. What treatments have proven successful with persons that hoard?

Did You Know?
Hoarding only affects 1% of the population.

Explore Fellowship Opportunities for Social Workers in Aging and Health

Applications Due April 2010

NASW is pleased to advise its members of two fellowship programs, unaffiliated with NASW, for professionals specializing in aging and health care.

Practice Change Fellows: Leaders in Geriatric Care

The two-year Practice Change Fellows program provides leadership training, individual mentoring, structured peer feedback, and funding to support each participant in developing leadership skills and content expertise that will enhance care for older adults. Fellows complete a project aimed at implementing a new geriatric program or service line integrated within their organization, allowing them to remain at their full-time jobs throughout the two-year program.

Social workers, nurses, and physicians who hold a leadership role in a health care delivery organization (including long-term care residences), health-related institution, or community-based organization—and who have both direct responsibility for geriatric services or aging-related programs and enough seniority in their organizations to have decision-making authority and be able to effect change—are eligible to apply. (Eight social workers have been selected as fellows since the program’s 2007 inception.)

The Practice Change Fellows Program is funded by the Atlantic Philanthropies and the John A. Hartford Foundation and is administered by the Division of Health Care Policy and Research at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, in partnership with the National Council on Aging. Please visit www.practicechangefellows.org for an application and more information, including a schedule of informational teleconferences in February and March. The application deadline for the 2010 award cycle is April 7, 2010.

Health and Aging Policy Fellows

The Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program offers practical experience and professional mentoring in health policy development and implementation on behalf of older adults. Fellows may complete one of two tracks:

• A residential track that includes a nine-to-12-month placement in Washington, D.C., or at a state agency. One of these placements will be completed in partnership with John Heinz Senate Fellowship in Issues of the Aging

• A nonresidential track that includes a health policy project in the fellow’s own community and brief placement(s) throughout the year at relevant sites

Social workers and other clinical professionals with practice experience in health and aging and a desire to be involved in health policy at the federal, state, or local level are eligible to apply. (Two social workers have been selected as fellows since the program’s 2008 inception.) Applicants may be at any career stage, and previous experience in policy is not required.

The Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program is supported by the Atlantic Philanthropies and is administered by the Columbia University Department of Psychiatry in collaboration with the American Political Science Association Congressional Fellowship Program. Please visit www.healthandagingpolicy.org for additional information. The application deadline for the 2010–11 year is April 15, 2010.

NASW Plays Key Role in Developing Recommendations

Social workers and other providers caring for individuals with dementia in their homes will find a valuable resource in Dementia Care Practice Recommendations for Professionals Working in a Home Setting, released by the Alzheimer’s Association this November in honor of National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month.

The document is the fourth in a series of recommendations for health care providers serving people with dementia and part of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Campaign for Quality Care. (The first three sets of recommendations address assisted living and nursing home providers.) As one of more than 20 leading health and aging organizations that participated in an extensive consensus-building process, NASW played a key role in developing all four sets of evidence-based recommendations. Individuals in the early stages of Alzheimer’s also helped develop the recommendations.

Noting that approximately 70% of people with dementia or cognitive impairment live at home, the publication emphasizes a person-centered, culturally competent approach to meeting the changing needs of persons with dementia. Topics addressed include home safety, communication and decision-making, physical and behavioral symptoms, family caregiver support, end-of-life care, and provider self-care.

Click here to view Dementia Care Practice Recommendations for Professionals Working in a Home Setting and Dementia Care Practice Recommendations for Assisted Living Residences and Nursing Homes.

RELATED RESOURCES

• Find consumer-friendly information and resources on Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
• Listen to, or read the transcript of, the Specialty Practice Sections teleconference, Helping Families Face the Early Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease.
• Read the Specialty Practice Sections article, Hope and Help in the Early Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Culture change—the shift from institutional models of care toward consumer-directed, socially oriented models—is a growing movement in long-term care communities across the United States and beyond. Culture change, also known as person-centered care, presents new opportunities and challenges for social workers, especially those working in nursing homes. Although many social workers have written about culture change and, indeed, have been involved in implementing culture change in nursing homes, little has been written about the social work role in culture change. Moreover, although some social workers embrace culture change because of the congruence between social work values and culture change’s focus on self-determination and quality of life, others are concerned that culture change may diminish their professional roles.

Is the setting in which you work implementing culture change? If so, what model is being used?

How has your role as a social worker been affected by culture change? Are you taking on new leadership roles? Have you taken on non–social work responsibilities or turned over social work functions to non–social work staff? Do you have any ethical or legal concerns about changes in your role?

How do you think the social work profession can position itself as a leader in culture change while preserving the integrity of the professional social work role in nursing homes?

NASW RESOURCES RELATED TO CULTURE CHANGE

Read NASW’s Aging Specialty Practice Section article, De-Institutionalizing an Institutional System (2003), to learn more about culture change.

Learn about NASW’s contribution to an interdisciplinary issue paper addressing the role of nursing in culture change.

Representatives of NASW recently attended Dignity & Choices:  A Symposium on End-of-Life Advocacy. Held October 13- 14, 2009, in Washington, D.C., the symposium was organized by Compassion & Choices, a leading organization in the choices-in-dying movement.

The core objective of the symposium was to equip health care professionals with accurate information to address the current health care reform debate, with particular emphasis on the importance of consistent practice methods and messages in end-of-life care.

Workshop highlights included:

• Expert recommendations on advocacy strategies to refute “death panel” claims;
• Clarification on the end-of-life counseling reimbursement proposal in the America’s Affordable Health Choices Act (H.R.  3200, sec. 1233, 2009);
• The impact of the health care professionals’ conscience regulations on patients’ end-of-life rights;
• The differences between hospice and palliative care ; and
• The importance of education and training for health care professionals in end-of-life counseling.

Plenary sessions included talks by Jacque D’Amboise, founder of the National Dance Institute and world-renowned ballet dancer; Dr. Elmer Huerta, former president of the American Cancer Society; and Jane Brody, New York Times columnist.

Additional information and professional resources:

NASW’s Specialty Credentials in Hospice and Palliative Care:

http://www.socialworkers.org/credentials/default.asp

NASW’s Standards for Social Work Practice in Palliative and End of Life Care:

http://www.socialworkers.org/practice/bereavement/standards/default.asp

NASW Director’s article ‘Death Panel’ Rhetoric Sets Us Back

http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/news/2009/10/clark.asp

As the Baby Boom generation advances into retirement age, the number of adults 65 years old and over is expected to triple. The growing aging population will change many aspects of social work. Tell us about your experiences. What are your biggest challenges? What do social workers need to know?

NASW Annual Practice Conference
The Aging Boom: Is Your Clinical Practice Ready?
In conjunction with the ASA/NCOA Aging in America Conference
March 15-16, 2009 - Las Vegas, Nevada