Value of Gerontology for Occupational Social Work

Abstract

As aging affects society increasingly, occupational social workers can benefit from gerontological research and prac tice in developing programs to help older employees counteract ageism, prepare for retirement, cope with health challenges, and reduce stress in fami ly relations. The workplace is a conve nient site for preventive and therapeutic interventions to meet the social prob lems associated with longevity. THE EMERGENCE of social work in Florence Safford were still in the work force. By the the workplace is a legitimate program- mid-1970s, only one-third of men older than matic response to the stress that accom- a* nmv o nffert* cnriotv iwrrenciwalv 65 were employed. This social revolution panies the modern occupational structure ° :® , • , ¥ , ?■', was the result of two trends. The first was and that affects individuals and family occupational social workers can benefit pension provisions designed to move older systems. Among programs developed to from, gerontological research andprac- workers out of the work force through corn help employees cope with job-related emo- tice in developing programs to help pulsory retirement policies to create jobs for employees and their families, from leisure interventions to meet the social prob- concePf> society has not developed clear facilities to health care services. few5 associated with longevity. for,^hat Problems retirees should Une extensive study of services in the ° y anticipate and how they can deal with those workplace identified several areas where problems. employees perceived needs, most of which Retirement studies reveal that the most often related to the needs of older workers, time, a lower birth rate has resulted in significant variables that affect morale or Those problem areas with identified needs a smaller percentage of younger people in this positive adjustment in retirement are health most relevant to older workers, in order, country. In 1983, for the first time in history, and income.4 While degree of satisfaction were the following: financial problems, family senior citizens outnumbered teenagers. with work or leisure activities and quality of problems, retirement problems, legal prob- Social planners have not been prepared for social relationships also are significant to ad lems, health problems, mental health prob- what has been called a geriatric explosion, justment, these cannot cancel out the lems, alcohol and substance abuse, and which has presented many social problems negative effect of poor health or inadequate recreation problems.2 Social workers who along with the benefits of a longer life. Many income. Because the variables change with wish to address some of the needs of these problems surface before old age, often in the time, retirement can be viewed as a process older workers, who constitute an increasing- workplace. Middle-aged and older workers that is affected differently during later life ly large percentage of the work force, re- can benefit from a range of social work in- stages. These stages include the preretire quire knowledge about the process of aging terventions aimed at prevention or treatment, ment decades (ages 45-55 and 55—65) as and the needs of that population. well as the retirement decades (ages 65-75, . , 75-85, and 85 and older). From this frame tax au a +v. r eron o ogy an work, life satisfaction for individuals for each Current Data About the Old Occupational Social Work life stage is the sum of the posidve Qr nega. The impact of aging on contemporary Gerontology addresses issues such as pen- tive characteristics associated with health, society is occurring at such a rapid pace that sion adequacy, the phenomenon of retire- income, social relationships, and degree of even gerontologists are surprised, and avail- ment, and retraining of older workers, all of satisfaction with work and leisure, with able data require demographic updating, which relate directly to the work experience health and income being the most signifi Only 12 years ago, in 1975,20 million people of older people.3 Knowledge of some of the cant. Concerns about all of these retirement in the United States (10 percent of the popula- gerontological data in these significant areas variables often intensify in mid-life, and the tion) were older than 65. Demographers can assist occupational social workers in transition from each of these decades to the warned at that time that planners should pre- recognizing the impact of the phenomena on next frequently is stressful, pare for large increases in the number of older older workers and their families. The geron people and predicted that by the year 2000 tological method of inquiry, which examines