NASW Activities to Promote Older Adult Well-Being & Gero Social Work in 2025
Chris Herman, LICSW, FNAP
Senior Practice Associate–Aging
March 2026
Aging remained a significant practice priority for NASW in 2025. This priority included two interrelated emphases: (1) maximizing the well-being of all of us as we age and (2) enhancing and promoting social work with and on behalf of older adults (also known as “gero social work”). This publication summarizes NASW’s key activities focused on aging during the previous year.
Publications
NASW published multiple publications authored or coauthored by practice staff in 2025. The following publications remain available to all, regardless of NASW membership.
Tips & Tools for Social Workers series
- Older Americans Month: The Importance of Public Programs as We Age
https://www.socialworkers.org/Practice/Tips-and-Tools-for-Social-Workers/Older-Americans-Month-2025-The-Importance-of-Public-Programs-as-We-Age
Publication date: May
Older
Americans Month (OAM) invites us to reflect on how we can work together
to make our communities age inclusive. Yet, during OAM 2025, many
federal policies, programs, and structures that support health and
well-being as we age were at risk of elimination or drastic alteration
by the Trump administration and the Republican-dominated Congress. This
edition of NASW’s
Tips & Tools for Social Workers provided an
overview of the history of, and current threats to, some of these
policies, programs, and structures. It concluded with advocacy in which
we can engage, as social workers, to preserve publicly funded and
administered programs that help all of us as we age.
- World Elder Abuse Awareness Day: How Can Each of Us Make a Difference?
https://www.socialworkers.org/Practice/Tips-and-Tools-for-Social-Workers/World-Elder-Abuse-Awareness-Day-2025-How-Can-Each-of-Us-Make-a-Difference
Publication date: June
This edition of NASW’s Tips and Tools for Social Workers
invited every reader to do at least one thing to enhance
awareness—whether in ourselves, our colleagues, our clients, or others
in our lives—of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. The publication
provided ideas and free resources to achieve this goal, even in five
minutes or less, and informed readers of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
(WEAAD) activities occurring throughout the month of June.
- The New Budget Reconciliation Law Is a Bad Deal for All of Us as We Age
https://www.socialworkers.org/Practice/Tips-and-Tools-for-Social-Workers/The-New-Budget-Reconciliation-Law-Is-a-Bad-Deal-for-All-of-Us-as-We-Age
Publication date: August
The
budget reconciliation act signed into law on July 4 (P.L. 119-21/H.R.
1, dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” by Republicans) will harm all
of us as we age. This edition of NASW’s
Tips & Tools for Social Workers
provided a brief overview of the federal budgeting process and outlined
how the law decreases older adults’ access to Medicaid, the Health
Insurance Marketplace, Medicare, long-term services and supports (LTSS),
and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
(SNAP)—disproportionately affecting older immigrants and refugees—while
weakening Social Security and other public programs.
- Helping Medicare Beneficiaries Plan for & Navigate Coverage in 2026
https://www.socialworkers.org/Practice/Tips-and-Tools-for-Social-Workers/Helping-Medicare-Beneficiaries-Plan-for-and-Navigate-Coverage-in-2026
Publication date: December
This four-part publication in the NASW Tips & Tools for Social Workers series
addressed the following topics: (1) Medicare annual enrollment basics
and the social work role in helping beneficaries prepare for 2026; (2)
strategies and tools to navigate Medicare enrollment for 2026; (3)
out-of-pocket health costs and financial assistance for Medicare
beneficiaries in 2026; and (4) other changes to Medicare coverage in
2026. The series included information about the impact of the fall 2025
federal government shutdown on Medicare annual enrollment. It also
addressed the impact of changes within the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS) and the enactment of the P.L. 119-21/H.R. 1 on
Medicare coverage for 2026
Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS)
The Medicare PFS is a set of regulations issued annually by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to update policies and payments for Medicare Part B–covered services provided by clinical social workers (CSWs) and other Medicare providers who work in various outpatient settings; these regulations, in turn, affect health care access for beneficiaries.
- Summary of the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule
https://www.socialworkers.org/Practice/Tips-and-Tools-for-Social-Workers/Summary-of-the-2025-Medicare-Physician-Fee-Schedule-Final-Rule
Publication date: January
In late 2024, CMS released the final rule for the 2025 PFS. This NASW
publication summarized numerous provisions of the 2025 PFS, including
coverage of caregiver training services, services addressing
health-related social needs, dental services, prescription drugs,
vaccinations, and the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program, as well as
modifications to the
Elder Maltreatment Screen and Follow-Up Plan quality measure.
- NASW Comment Letter to CMS Regarding the Proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for 2026
https://www.socialworkers.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=JvzEp0TDRhU%3d&portalid=0
Publication date: September (Please refer to NASW’s January 2026 summary of the final rule for updates: https://www.socialworkers.org/Practice/Tips-and-Tools-for-Social-Workers/Highlights-of-the-2026-Medicare-Physician-Fee-Schedule-Final-Rule)
In July, CMS released a proposed rule addressing the PFS for calendar
year 2026. NASW’s comments addressed multiple aspects of the proposed
rule, including prevention and management of chronic disease; coverage
of dental services and addition of oral health quality measurement;
requirements for the Medicare Shared Savings Program (accountable care
organizations) and the Ambulatory Specialty Model; frequency limitations
on Medicare telehealth subsequent care services provided by physicians
and nonphysician practitioners (NPPs)—such as physician assistants,
nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists—in skilled nursing
facilities (SNFs); and coverage for mental health services provided by
independent CSWs to beneficiaries receiving SNF services under Part A.
NASW Standards for Long-Term Services and Supports
Practice staff co-facilitated regular meetings of the NASW Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Standards Task Force, a volunteer NASW member group that is updating NASW’s 2003 Standards for Social Work Services in Long-Term Care Facilities (https://www.socialworkers.org/Practice/NASW-Practice-Standards-Guidelines/NASW-Standards-for-Social-Work-Services-in-Long-Term-Care-Facilities). The updated standards, which will be available for public comment in April, apply to LTSS provided to people of all ages both in facilities and in home- and community-based settings.
Presentations
During 2025 NASW practice staff offered multiple presentations pertinent to gero social work, including the following.
American Society on Aging (ASA)—On Aging conference
Orlando, Florida; April
ASA describes this annual conference as “the largest multidisciplinary conference on aging” (https://asaging.org/on-aging/). Practice staff developed and delivered three presentations in collaboration with professionals of several disciplines:
- Activating Strategies to Help Social Workers Address Ageism—copresented with Joan Asseff, LCSW-S (University of Texas at Austin); included annotated resource list, available from this author upon request
- Building and Integrating a Diverse Social Care Workforce in Healthcare—panel presentation with Bonnie Ewald, MA, and Robyn Golden, MA, LCSW (both with the Center for Health and Social Care Integration at Rush University); Kathy Kelly, MPA (Family Caregiver Alliance); and Amy York, BA (Eldercare Workforce Alliance)
- Dignity of Risk: A Frame for Connecting Aging and Disability Rights—co-presented with Maureen Henry, JD, PhD (Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program); included annotated resource list, available from this author upon request
NASW—Social Work: Celebrating Our
Legacy | Developing the Future
national conference
Chicago, Illinois; June
With funding from the American Public Health Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, practice staff developed and delivered two presentations:
- Champions of Change: Addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Overdose, and Suicide—poster presentation with April Ferguson, LCSW-C (NASW practice team); resource list on ACES and older adults available at https://bit.ly/NASW-ACES-AGING25
- Affirming and Sustaining NASW’s Work on Behalf of Children, Adolescents, and Older Adults—breakout session co-presented with April Ferguson
Center on Aging, Trauma, and Holocaust Survivor Care—Training Workshop: Compassion in Action 2025
Washington, DC; June
https://holocaustsurvivorcare.jewishfederations.org/2025-training-workshop
The center, based at the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and supported through a cooperative agreement with the federal Administration for Community Living, funds and trains organizations across the United States in the person-centered, trauma-informed (PCTI) approach to serving older adults and family caregivers. Practice staff moderated the plenary panel session “Collaborative Care: Teaming Up Care Partners, Peers, and Providers” for a multidisciplinary audience of service providers. Panelists: community mental health and psychiatric nurse S. Orlene Grant, (Juanita C. Grant Foundation), family caregiver advocate Lily Liu (Liu Consultants) and peer supporter Lorenzo J. Ramirez (University of Colorado).
NASW presentations supported by practice staff
In addition to developing and delivering presentations, practice staff was instrumental in supporting two NASW presentations for national audiences during 2025:
- Maximizing the Self-Determination of Older Adults While Helping Families Navigate Changing Support Needs—three-hour preconference presented by Jill Shoffner, LCSW, CCM, and Bailey Schiermeyer, JD, CELA (both with Elder Care Law of Tennessee) at the NASW national conference in Chicago
- Technology Safety and Abuse in Later Life—breakout session presented by Victoria Ferguson-Young, MDiv, and Ann Laatsch, JD (both with the National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life) during the NASW virtual forum Compassionate Innovation: Social Work and Technology in November (https://naswvirtual.socialworkers.org/2025-virtual-forum-agenda
Additional Activities
During 2025 practice staff worked on behalf of social workers in aging in other ways, including—but not limited to—the following activities:
- providing information and technical assistance to NASW members,
chapter and national staff, and other stakeholders throughout the year
- creating social media content for various purposes, such as Ageism
Awareness Day (October) and the National Collaboratory to Address Elder
Mistreatment Mentorship Program (December)
- contributing to NASW’s Blueprint of Public Policy Priorities for the 119th Congress (https://www.socialworkers.org/Advocacy/Policy-Issues/Blueprint-of-Public-Policy-Priorities)
- vetting dozens of sign-on letters on behalf of NASW, thereby expanding the association’s advocacy reach
Furthermore, practice staff represented NASW in many national coalitions, advisory committees, and other external initiatives pertinent to older adults. These collaborations informed not only the preceding presentations and NASW publications, but also the association’s advocacy. A list of selected collaborative efforts follows.
Policy Coalitions
Advisory, Leadership, and Review Committees
Other Significant Collaborations
2026 Work in Aging
The NASW practice team continues to advance not only gero social work, but also the well-being of all of us as we age. Please visit https://www.socialworkers.org/Practice/Aging throughout the year for updates.