social work lesson 6-12 textbook notes

• Gerontology is the study of the biological, psychological, and social aspects of aging. The goal of gerontological social workers is to promote and advance older clients’ social, emotional, and physical well-being so that they can live more independent and satisfying lives.
• Ecological approach


  Examining the context of an older client's life, including the dynamics between client and family, neighborhood, social supports, medical supports, and other systems
• Major knowledge categories for gerontological social workers

  • Biological and physiological aspects of aging
  • Cognitive processes and emotional/psychological development
  • Sociological aspects of aging
  • Legal, political, and economic aspects of aging
• Social workers must have knowledge about the physical and mental impairments that are related to chronic illness as well as normal changes that may occur in the senses
• Ageism is prejudice against people based solely on age.
• In addition, gerontological social workers need to be aware of commonly used medications and of advances in pharmacology. The vast majority of older Americans, 87 percent in one study, take at least one prescription drug regularly
• An adverse drug event (ADE), more commonly called a drug reaction, could lead to hospitalization or, in the extreme, a loss of independence for this group.
• Elders who are able to accomplish these tasks are more likely to have satisfying postretirement years. On the basis of theories of personality development, gerontological social workers can help clients navigate stressful life events such as retirement, widowhood, physical decline, residential relocation, loss, and approaching death.
• Social workers have been employed in health care settings since


  1905
• The Gerontological Society of America, the first professional organization, was established to promote age-related issues


  1945
• The Gerontological Society of America is a multidisciplinary organization of physicians, biologists, social workers, psychologists, and others that focuses on research and practice issues with older people
• older peopleThe National Conference of Social Workers highlighted a paper by social worker Rose McHugh on practice with people who are older


  1947
• Rose McHugh's emphasis


  The dignity and uniqueness of older clients
• The Council on Social Work Education, with support from the Ford Foundation, presented the Seminar on Aging in Aspen, Colorado


  1958
• The Seminar on Aging in Aspen, Colorado was the first time social work educators discussed how to assess the social service needs of older clients and how to build a curriculum that prepared students to work with them
• The Economic Opportunity Act (EOA) of 1964 funded community-based social services, including services for the elderly. The 1965 Older Americans Act (OAA) established the federal Administration on Aging (AOA) and statewide Area Agencies on Aging (AAA), both of which were designed to coordinate and fund social services for older people. Unfortunately, both the EOA and OAA were and remain seriously underfunded. However, the federal government recognized the health care needs of people who are older with the establishment of the Medicare and Medicaid programs in 1965.
• In 1974, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) was added to the public assistance package provided by the federal government. SSI provides income for older people living in poverty.
• 1980 AARP the American Association of Retired Persons made for older people. AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to helping older Americans achieve lives of independence, dignity, and purpose.
• Unfortunately, during the same period, federal funding for social services to older clients was systematically reduced, and proposed cuts to Social Security overshadowed critical issues such as ageism, elder abuse, long-term health care, and the need to combat negative stereotyping of seniors
• In 2003, Congress enacted the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA), which was initiated in January 2006. This legislation provided prescription drug benefits for Medicare eligible seniors by implementing a Part D benefit where members enroll with private companies to obtain prescription medications.
• They are often categorized in three groups: the young-old (ages 65–74 years); the old-old (ages 75–84 years); and the oldest-old (ages 85 years and over).
• During the twenty-first century, the percentage of the population that is older will increase dramatically
• Primary reasons for the increase in older population

  • Fewer children being born
  • Baby boom generation reaching 65 between 2010-2030
  • People living longer
• By 2030, when the last of the baby boomers reach 65, one in five Americans will be 65 or older
• By 2050, it is projected that there will be 88.5 million Americans over the age of 65, which is more than double the current number, and at least 21 percent of the population will be old
• Baby boomers, Americans born between 1946 and 1964, make up the largest age cohort in the US population
• Their aging will necessitate a vast increase in health, recreation, housing, and nutrition services for people who are older, as well as increases in entitlement programs, such as Social Security
• A child born today can expect to live for almost 79 years on average, as compared to 47 years for someone born in 1900
• Those who are 65 today will live, on average, for almost another 20 years
• The oldest-old, who are also called frail older people, are projected to be the fastest-growing segment of the population in the twenty-first century
• The number of people over the age of 85 is expected to more than triple between 2008 and 2050, when the number may reach more than 21 million
• The majority of the over-85 cohort will be women
• The healthy aging of the oldest-old in the twenty-first century is due to improved medical technologies, less smoking, improved diet and nutrition, and better medications
• Only a small percentage of professional social workers are primarily employed in the practice area of aging, yet a majority of social workers work with older adults in some capacity in their jobs
• With the growth in our aging population, the need for gerontological social workers is increasing steadily
• Most gerontological social work jobs require a master's degree in social work or a graduate degree with a certificate in gerontology
• A bachelor of social work (BSW) degree does not provide the necessary skills, particularly clinical skills, to work in many settings with the elderly
• There are BSW-level geriatric social work positions in Area Agencies on Aging, senior centers, skilled nursing facilities, and hospitals
• Services provided by gerontological social workers


  • Investigating reported cases of elder abuse, neglect, and self-neglect
  • Arranging emergency shelter and transportation for victims
  • Facilitating victims' return home or to alternative long-term living arrangements
  • Providing case management services
  • Facilitating different types of groups, including bereavement and grief groups, reality-orientation groups for elderly adults who are cognitively impaired, and educational or self-help groups
• In 2015, there were 47.8 million people over 65 years of age, of which 27.1 million were between the ages of 65 and 74, 15.2 million were between the ages of 75 and 84, and 5.5 million were 85 and older