National Association of Social Workers

From the Director

Preparing for the Aging Boom

By Elizabeth J. Clark, Ph.D., ACSW, MPH

On Jan. 1, the first of the more than 77 million baby boomers turned 60. With the aging of the baby boomers and the lengthening of the life span, both the number and proportion of older people are rapidly increasing. So is the need for social work services for this population.

For example, school social workers are finding that many grandparents are raising their grandchildren. Social workers in family practice settings are helping clients deal with the stress of being in the Sandwich Generation — trying to meet the needs of their children as well as the needs of their aging parents.

Practitioners in health care are seeing more elderly clients than ever before. That the majority of people newly diagnosed with cancer are over age 65 will have a significant impact on the field of oncology social work as the boomers reach that milestone. Likewise, Alzheimer's disease is becoming more and more common. By the year 2030, the number of people with Alzheimer's in this country is expected to increase by 70 percent. And the suicide rate for older men, already the highest in the nation, will likely rise even further.

I'm not certain that the important role of social work in aging is fully understood yet by the many programs and organizations for older individuals. Too often it is believed that anyone who is well-intentioned can offer services for the elderly. While social workers recognize the valuable contributions of human services professionals and volunteers, we also recognize that it takes a specialized knowledge base to provide quality and comprehensive care.

Social work looks at the person-in-environment and assesses biopsychosocial issues. This means that the client and family are generally seen as the unit of care and that finding concrete resources is as important as providing good mental health counseling. Social workers are skilled in many areas and issues relevant to aging, such as age discrimination and client rights, domestic violence, loss and end-of-life concerns, substance use disorders, depression and living with physical challenges.

However, in order to be as well prepared as possible to meet the increasing needs of the aging population, many social workers are looking for additional specialized education and advanced training opportunities. With some excellent foundation funding, major advances in infusing aging content into social work courses have been made in academic programs. This will have a snowball effect for future social work graduates.

It is a little more difficult, though, to find specialized training for the more than 600,000 social workers who have completed their formal education programs.

To address this gap, NASW is offering a free continuing education opportunity in the form of an online course about the basics of gerontological social work. In partnership with The New York Academy of Medicine Social Work Leadership Institute and the Hartford Foundation, continuing education units for the course have already been awarded to over 3,000 social workers who have successfully completed the two-hour curriculum. Additional courses on aging and related topics will be added to the WebEd Program in the coming months.

Another exciting development is that a multiple-level aging credential for social workers will be introduced later this year. The credential will indicate an expertise and advanced training in gerontology. Other elements, such as the introduction of our aging series of publications and the further growth of the Specialty Practice Section on Aging will round out our Aging Initiative for this year.

Finally, the focus of Social Work Month 2006 is on aging. The overarching theme is "Life's Journey. Help Starts Here." The graphic, a growing leaf, conveys multiple messages. It connotes aging with power, with wisdom, with vitality and with dignity. It also promises that social workers will be there to offer assistance at every step and stage of the journey.

March is Social Work Month, and NASW wants to thank each member for recognizing the importance of her or his own social work journey and for making the journeys of countless others more hopeful. Happy Social Work Month.

To comment to Elizabeth J. Clark: newscolumn@naswdc.org

From March 2006 NASW News. © 2006 National Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved. NASW News articles may be copied for personal use, but proper notice of copyright and credit to the NASW News must appear on all copies made. This permission does not apply to reproduction for advertising, promotion, resale, or other commercial purposes.