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.

Written by Ayisha Jones, NASW intern.   She is a studying to receive her MSW this year.

Do you have access to fresh fruit and veggies? Are you within walking distance of a grocery store or does your local transit provide easy access to organic food and super markets? If you answered yes to these questions, chances are you are not living in poverty. Recently I have been overcome by the reality of nutritional neglect within low-income, urban communities. The effects of poor nutrition on pre-natal early childhood development as well as academic achievement are documented. Poor nutrition is also directly associated with cognitive delays, poor school performance, behavioral challenges with children. However, the connection between inadequate nutrition and lack of access to healthy food choices is often overlooked. Many urban communities are flooded with liquor stores, convenience stores, and fast food restaurants, and many residents who receive food stamps are often unaware that food stamps can be used at organic food markets and farmers markets.

I recently signed on to support and participate in a community organization project in West Baltimore. I was surprised to find that one of the local concerns was transportation and access to proper nutrition in the poor communities. I drove about 5 miles down a major street in the middle of the community and saw one grocery store that was filled with processed food ads in the window. However, in that same proximity I saw several gas stations, liquor stores, fast food chains, and fried chicken and Chinese food restaurants.

According to Bon Secours hospital in Baltimore, MD the extended stays required for many patients stemmed from malnutrition. The consumption of processed food often leads to hypertension, malnutrition, high cholesterol, diabetes, and adult and childhood obesity. Preventative health care relies heavily on proper nutrition and cannot be successful without it. Medication and weekly doctors’ visits will not help a chronic condition such as diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol unless accompanied by proper nutrition and exercise. Nutrition is such a major part of life preservation that some of the issues affecting children and families living in poverty can no longer be ignored. What action can we take as social workers to remedy this problem?

Thursday, October 29, 2009 - Specialty Practice Sections Teleconference

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM ET
Credit Hours: 1 CEU(s)

Presenter:

• Paul D’Agostino,ACSW, LCSW

Moderator:

• Bekki Ow-Arhu,MSW, LICS

There is relatively little in the literature discussing any links between child abuse and bullying behavior in children. Yet both are examples of aggressive/violent responses and many believe that these are learned behaviors. This teleconference will explore the possible link between childhood abuse and bullying.

Click here to REGISTER for this teleconference.

NASW Members, click here for information on joining a Specialty Practice Section.

Earn FREE CEUs with SPS Live Practice Teleconferences - Register Now!

Managing Professional Grief
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
1:00-2:00 EST, 1 CEU offered

Presenter:
•  Elizabeth Clark,PhD, ACSW, MPH

Moderator(s):
•  Tracy Whitaker,DSW, ACSW

Social workers understand the importance of maintaining good boundaries when dealing with client issues. Yet witnessing suffering in any form is difficult, and when a client dies, we can experience professional grief. This teleconference will cover the concepts of vicarious traumatization, recognizing the clues of compassion fatigue, and maintaining professional hope in high loss practice settings.

Exclusively for Sections Members. Join Online Today!

Wednesday, June 04, 2008
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM ET
Credit Hours: CEU(s)

Presenter:
• Lisa Cox, PhD, LCSW, MSW

Moderator(s):
• Evelyn Tomaszewski, MSW

The faces of AIDS come from all age groups, racial and ethnic populations, religious backgrounds, and countries of the world. Social workers are challenged to keep abreast of evolving science, societal, and practice issues that affect their HIV-infected client’s lives. This teleconference will address updated health, mental health and lifespan knowledge.

Register Now and Listen to the Audio or Read the Transcipt

Credit Hours: 1 CEU(s)

Presenter:
• Elizabeth Gould,MSW
• Daniel Kuhn,MSW

Moderator(s):
• Maria Jackson,MSW, MPA

Inconsistent symptoms, uncertainty about the diagnosis, and a number of challenges to autonomy are distressing aspects of this growing personal and public health problem. This teleconference will describe how social workers can respond to individuals and families and will identify useful resources.