Aging Practice Tools

In 1963 President John F. Kennedy established the annual observance of Older Americans Month (OAM). Two years later, the Older Americans Act (OAA) was signed into law. As of this writing, a timeline outlining the evolution of the OAA and other programs benefiting older adults remains posted on a federal website.

NASW Task Force for Serious Illness: Palliative and End of Life Care is please to announce the attached draft practice standards for public comment, Serious Illness: Palliative and End of Life Care. The draft standards offer guidance to social workers in all settings where palliative and end of life services occur. They offer guidance to social workers and serve as benchmark for services social workers provide. We value your input and encourage you to review the document.

In late 2024 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS). This 1,348-page rule updates policies and payments for clinical social workers (CSWs) and other Medicare providers; these changes, in turn, affect health coverage for beneficiaries. Changes related to payments and other Medicare Part B policies addressed in the PFS take effect on or after January 1, 2025.

Older Americans Month (OAM) recognizes the contributions and achievements of older adults and highlight important trends in aging. OAM is also a time to deepen our commitment to making our communities age inclusive—that is, places that support all of us as we age. This publication explores the OAM theme for 2024, describes selected NASW activities to support social work with older adults, and provides a robust resource list.

The federal government is soliciting three types of proposals to fund programs that prevent and address elder abuse. Social workers play critical roles in elder abuse programming, including programs funded by the federal government. Read this NASW post for a summary of each funding opoprtunity.