Gerontological Social Work Education Research Articles

Enhancing gerontological social work education: curriculum insights from offering a clinical gerontology certificate

ABSTRACT With the increasing aging population there is a need for more gerontological social work practitioners; however, such training for social workers in Canada is limited. To help address this gap, one faculty of social work developed a graduate level clinical social work practice certificate with a specialization in gerontology. In this paper we explore students’ and instructors’ perspectives about the curriculum, delivery, and impact of this certificate, and provide recommendations for improvement, particularly with respect to the clinical nature of the courses. Eight students and four instructors participated in the study. Strengths and opportunities for enhancement were identified for curriculum and delivery. Study findings also indicated that further curriculum development should focus on enhancing clinical skill development and providing more practice experience. Implications arising from these findings included developing clinical skills through experiential learning, interprofessional education, and service learning.

Dementia care in gerontological social work: emerging issues and challenges in Saudi Arabia.

The issues and challenges in the current state of gerontological social work policy, practice, and education related to dementia care in Saudi Arabia are discussed in this article. The following primary issues were explored: (1) the impact of the biomedical model's global dominance on gerontological social work policy and research for dementia care and health promotion; (2) the position of the older adults in Middle Eastern nations and its connection to the lack of gerontological social work policies, programs, and care services for older adults with dementia and their family caregivers; (3) the effect of the profession of social work's lack of recognition on the potential evolution of gerontological social work practice in dementia care; (4) the state of dementia patients' rights, dementia patients' safety, and dementia patients' rights to self-determination on the gerontological social work support provided for older adults with dementia; (5) the unequal distribution of dementia care resources and gerontological social work; and (6) the social work education programs' inability to supply the market with sufficient number of skilled gerontological social workers and its effect on the advancement of dementia care in gerontological social work practice. Approaches for advancing policy, practice, and education are provided to support the evolution of gerontological social work in dementia care in the region.

EFFECTIVENESS OF A HUMAN RIGHTS–BASED APPROACH ONLINE PROGRAM FOR GERONTOLOGICAL SOCIAL WORKERS

Abstract The human rights perspective is emphasized through the social work code of ethics and practice principles. However, the efforts to improve the human rights perspective of social workers were insufficient in gerontological social work education in South Korea. Thus, the study aimed to prove the effects of a human rights-based approach intervention for gerontological social workers, which consisted of nine online sessions using Zoom. PI developed the program based on McPherson’s integrated framework for Human Rights Practice in Social Work. A quasi-experimental design was used. The experimental group consisted of 36 social workers, and the control group was 31 social workers at senior centers. The pre-post tests for the experimental group and posttest for the control group were conducted. The socio-demographic characteristics of the two groups were equivalent. The key measure was the Human Rights Lens in Social Work (HRLSW) scale consisting of two sub-dimensions: social problems as rights violations and clients as experiencing rights violations.The effect sizes of the online program’s effects on the social worker’s rights-based perspective were large over .90. In addition, the degrees two dimensions of the HRLSW at the posttest were significantly higher than those of the control group (social problems as rights violations: d = 1.04, p < .001; clients as experiencing rights violations: d=0.98, p<.001). Based on the findings of this study, the implications of human rights education and training were discussed to improve the human rights-based perspective of gerontological social workers.

Current and Future Needs of Gerontological Social Work Practice in Alberta: Findings from the World Café at the Gerontological Symposium in Edmonton, Canada

ABSTRACT The growing aging population in Canada has multi-faceted psycho-social needs. Social workers are well-positioned to address these needs, despite many challenges. This paper reports findings from the World Café at the Gerontology Symposium in Alberta, Canada, held in 2018. The goal was to learn from social work practitioners, researchers, and educators (N = 49) about current and future needs of gerontological social work in Alberta. There were two research questions: 1) What strategies do social workers need on the micro, mezzo, and macro levels to help better serve the growing older adult population in Alberta? (R1) 2) How can social workers promote the value and contribution of gerontological social work within the interprofessional community? (R2) The data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Ten R1-related themes emerged: personal traits of a social worker; professional skills; bio-psycho-social needs of older adults; community connections; access to benefits; gerontological social work education; integrated healthcare; aging policy; ageism; and advocacy to strengthen the voice of older adults. The three R2-related themes include strengthening the status of the social work profession; building trust through demonstrated skills; and interprofessional education and practice.

Factors Associated With Attitudes Toward Older Adults in Social Work Students: A Systematic Review

ABSTRACT This systematic review examined the factors associated with social work students’ attitudes toward older adults or working with older adults from the literature published in the last decade. Twelve peer-reviewed empirical studies published between 2011 and 2020 were included for review. Results suggest that both direct and indirect exposures to older adults positively changed social work students’ attitudes. While infusing exposure to older adults into courses appeared effective in modifying students’ attitudes, inconsistent measurement and lack of information across studies made it impossible to compare the effectiveness of interventions across studies. Implications for gerontological social work education are discussed.

Introduction to the Special Section on Book/Media/Resource Reviews for Gerontological Social Work Education and Discrimination and Disparities

In the Summer of 2020, years of racial inequity and the evidence of the racially motivated deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and others sparked a renewed movement toward action...

Supporting PhD Students to Become Faculty in Gerontological Social Work: AGESW’s Fellowship Program

In the United States, the field of social work faces a critical shortage of students and faculty with expertise in gerontology needed to meet the growing needs of an aging society. To help recruit, train, and retain aging-related social work practitioners, researchers, and educators, the Association for Gerontological Education in Social Work (AGESW) created the Pre-Dissertation Fellowship Program in 2010. AGESW provides leadership in the areas of gerontological social work education, research, and policy and its PDFP was designed to support doctoral students in their education and future careers. In this 10th anniversary year of the PDFP, this symposium presents multiple perspectives of PDFP program evaluation. The first paper uses qualitative data from eight years of PDFP evaluations to identify types of professional skills attained through the program and areas of professional development missing from PDFP fellows’ home doctoral programs. The second paper uses quantitative data from a retrospective survey administered to PDFP alumni to describe their perspectives on the effects of the program. The third paper uses data from a retrospective survey of three cohorts of PDFP alumni to demonstrate the use of social network analysis for program evaluation. The fourth and final paper uses an idiographic approach to explain benefits of the PDFP from the perspectives of early stage scholars who participated in the program. Overall, the symposium provides evidence that suggests the effectiveness of the PDFP in building professional networks, mentoring doctoral students, and teaching academic skills and discusses using the PDFP model in other gerontological fields.

Visioning the Future of Gerontological Digital Social Work

ABSTRACT Gerontological Social Work education has been substantially altered by the advancement of today’s digital technologies, influencing both the training and tools required to ensure student success in social work research, policy, and practice. The goal of this paper is to present the state of the science on gerontological digital social work education, identify implications for emerging technologies, and define areas for social work student competencies and proficiencies to advance the field of gerontological digital social work. This paper underlines the role of gerontological digital social work education in preparing future researchers, practitioners, and policymakers when engaging in Digital Therapeutic Teams. We provide insightful considerations pertaining to emerging technologies which present unique opportunities for innovation. Furthermore, this paper presents training and education opportunities for social work education in preparing future gerontologist practitioners, researchers, and policymakers to engage in multidisciplinary team efforts and leverage digital technologies and digital therapeutics.

What Can an Evaluation of the AGESW Predissertation Fellows Program Tell Us about the Mentoring Needs of Doctoral Students?

ABSTRACTGood mentoring is a key variable for determining success in completing a doctoral program. The Association for Gerontology Education in Social Work (AGESW) provides leadership in the areas of gerontological social work education, research, and policy. In 2010, AGESW began offering the Pre-Dissertation Fellows Program (PDFP) to enhance social work doctoral students’ professional development and skillset for academia. The purpose of this study was to examine student participants’ perceptions of the PDFP in its role to providing mentorship and training for an academic position that encompasses research, teaching and professional service. This qualitative study examined eight cohorts (2010–2018) of the AGESW PDFP (N = 85). Participants identified a number of aspects of professional development gained, gratitude for the training, an appreciation for candid advice received, and areas of professional development they felt they were lacking within their doctoral training. Implications for doctoral education, doctoral mentorship programs, and the AGESW pre-dissertation program are discussed. Further, programs such as AGESW pre-dissertation fellowship program can serve as a model for other doctoral training initiatives to prepare students to work in academia.

Team mentored reflective practice in gerontological social work education

ABSTRACT Attracting students to gerontological social work has long been difficult. A possible strategy is to provide students with experiential learning opportunities with older adults that provide them with support while reflecting on this work. Our Team Mentored Reflective Practice model represents an effort to enhance students’ reflective practice skills in the context of a clinical research project in which both instructors and students form a supportive team. Students reported a number of benefits that included the development of meaningful relationships with older clients, clinical skills that related to memory loss, and the integration of research and practice. Students who were engaged in the team mentored process of reflection evidenced changes in how they were thinking about clients. These new understandings have the potential to impact the ways in which students work with older adults.

Ageism Among Social Work Faculty: Impact of Personal Factors and Other “Isms”

The purpose of this article was (a) to determine the extent to which ageist attitudes are evident among social work faculty and how educational factors may contribute to ageism, (b) to determine if terror management theory (in terms of aging anxiety) offers a further explanation for ageist attitudes beyond known correlates, and (c) to understand how intersecting prejudices (attitudes toward women, gay men, and lesbians) may be associated with ageist attitudes. Results indicated a low bias toward older adults, with two variables, psychological anxiety about aging and paid experience with older adults, accounting for 29.7% of the variance. Further, no association was found between ageism and sexism and sexual prejudice in the multivariate analyses. These results indicate promising advances for terror management theory in explaining ageism. Social work faculty’s low bias and perceived need for gerontological content in curricula is an encouraging finding for gerontological social work education.

On the Edge of a New Frontier: Is Gerontological Social Work in the UK Ready to Meet Twenty-First-Century Challenges?

This article explores the readiness of gerontological social work in the UK for meeting the challenges of an ageing society by investigating the focus on work with older people in social work education and the scope of gerontological social work research. The discussion draws on findings from two exploratory studies: a survey of qualifying master's programmes in England and a survey of the content relating to older people over a six-year period in four leading UK social work journals. The evidence from master's programmes suggests widespread neglect of ageing in teaching content and practice learning. Social work journals present a more nuanced picture. Older people emerge within coverage of generic policy issues for adults, such as personalisation and safeguarding, and there is good evidence of the complexity of need in late life. However, there is little attention to effective social work interventions, with an increasingly diverse older population, or to the quality of gerontological social work education. The case is made for infusing content on older people throughout the social work curriculum, for extending practice learning opportunities in social work with older people and for increasing the volume and reporting of gerontological social work research.

The State of Gerontological Social Work Education in California: Implications for Curricula Evaluation

California has actively engaged in the Hartford Geriatric Social Work Initiative. Subsequently, the California Social Work Education Center Aging Initiative conducted a university survey of gerontology education in California graduate social work schools (N = 17). In 2005, students taking aging courses were 12% in comparison to a national report of 7% by the Council on Social Work Education and an earlier 1993 national survey of 3%. Still, the number of gerontology students remains less than needed numbers. However, California social work schools are well-prepared with infused curricula for all social workers and exceed previous standards for gerontology faculty and aging field placements. The implications for California are discussed as well as recommendations for updating the earlier gerontology curricula criteria.

Two Birds With One Stone: Using Gerontology Experiences to Meet CSWE Competencies

In 2008 the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) developed competency-based accreditation standards that establish and define operational practice behaviors. To implement the 2008 accreditation standards, baccalaureate program faculty throughout the country are using curriculum mapping strategies to review and critique current course content and assessment measures. CSWE's National Center for Gerontological Social Work Education offers faculty development opportunities and curriculum resources to promote gerontology competence at the generalist level. Through the curriculum mapping process faculty can determine how to include gerontological social work competency achievement among their students while meeting the 2008 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards requirements. This article uses an evidence-based framework to provide examples of pedagogy that can serve this dual function.

Community Reentry and Older Adult Offenders: Redefining Social Work Roles

The number of older adults in US prisons continues to rise. In 2002, adults ages 50 and older made up 8% of the US prison population, up from 4% a decade prior. Many older offenders are released to communities that are poorly equipped to meet their special needs. and largely unprepared for the social and fiscal costs of their reentry. The focus of gerontological social work education on the returning older adult offender has been limited. This article examines social work roles in the community reentry/reintegration of older adult offenders. Best practices from the gerontological social work literature are presented and implications for social work practice are discussed.

Bridging the Gap: Gerontology and Social Work Education

ABSTRACT The following study was implemented to explore the potential for a four-week curriculum module in gerontological social work education to positively impact students' practice-related knowledge concerning older adults, as well as their attitudes toward elderly persons and interest in working with them. Pertinent literature was reviewed to conceptualize the building of a gerontology curriculum module that could be integrated into a pre-existing social work course. The module's design and content were reflective of its primary goal, which was to educate students about salient aspects of social work knowledge, skill, and practice with older adults utilizing experiential methods. Data analysis revealed a significant increase in students' knowledge of aging (t = 12.23, df = 106, p < 0.01), significant decline in students' ageist attitudes (t = 3.34, df = 106, p < 0.01), and an increased interest in working with older adults as clients (z = 3.162, p < 0.05). Given the pending unprecedented growth in the older adult population and the lack of gerontology education in social work programs, this study attempts to bridge this gap.

Not Prepared to Care” and “Raising the Bar

This paper examines university-community partnerships in gerontological social work research. Utilizing a case study approach, the process of collaboration is explored within the context of a two-phase research project conducted jointly by agency social workers, social work students and a social work faculty member. The benefits and challenges of the university-community research partnership are discussed along with the implications for gerontological social work research, education and practice.

Cultural Competency: A Key to Effective Future Social Work with Racially and Ethnically Diverse Elders

With 2 dominant demographic imperatives of the aging population and increasing racial/ethnic diversity of the older population, current and future generations of racially and ethnically diverse elders are expected to experience complex and diverse sets of service needs. More than ever, the social work profession needs a strategic approach to working with current and future generations of diverse elders. The author presents information that allows a better understanding of future issues and problems facing racial/ethnic minority elders and discusses how social work can effectively and successfully address these future needs. Five specific recommendations are proposed: (a) reconceptualize race/ethnicity and diversity in social work practice, (b) identify and develop a conceptual framework for social work with racially and ethnically diverse elders, (c) consider a multidisciplinary community-oriented and neighborhood-based approach, (d) advance culturally competent gerontological social work with diverse elders, and (e) strengthen gerontological social work education with an emphasis on cultural competence.

The Place of Poetry in Gerontological Social Work Education

This essay focuses on poetry as a means to enhance the education and training of social workers and allied health care professionals working with the elderly. The poetry examined includes published popular poetry and poetry created by the elderly in community and residential programs. Finally, I discuss the poetry and narrative of four social workers as an integrative device for dealing with personal and professional issues relating to aging and identity.

Interdisciplinary Geriatric Education.

There is an absence of adequately trained social workers to meet the health and social service needs of a rapidly increasing aging population. Educators face the challenge of helping social workers in the field both to upgrade their gerontological knowledge and skills and to become functioning members of the emerging modality-the interdisciplinary care team. A historical review of gerontological social work education suggests that 'first generation' education programs based on a medical model of intervention gave way to the 'second generation' in which aging was viewed as a normative step in the life cycle. Currently gerontological social work education is entering the 'third generation' in which emphasis is on working with members of other disciplines to provide comprehensive care. This interdisciplinary geriatric health care is most readily taught as a continuing education, post-graduate experience. This 'third generation' of gerontoloical social work education is exemplified by the experience of the Hunter/Mount Sinai Geriatric Education Center. Interdisciplinary geriatric health care requires teaching by an interdisciplinary team and, to be effective, educators must themselves be equipped to function as member of the team. Barriers to interdisciplinary understanding and the factors neccessary for interdisciplinary collaboration are detailed.