Aging population presents challenges and opportunities for social workers
Baby boomers, that “pig in the python” demographic that has impacted American trends and trajectories at every stage of life, are growing old. By 2050, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, 87 million Americans — 21 percent of the population — will be over 65.
And they’ll need help.
“This demographic shift means that social work educators have a leadership role to play in growing the workforce of professionals who are qualified to address the needs of older Americans,” says Patricia Volland, director of the New York Academy of Medicine Social Work Leadership Institute.
In response, the institute and the National Association of Deans and Directors of Schools of Social Work have created the Leadership Academy in Aging to focus on building resources to address the needs of America’s aging population.
They have selected James Herbert Williams Dean of DU’s Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW), and 11 other social work school deans and directors to participate in the inaugural seminar beginning this September.
Williams and other leaders in the newly created Leadership Academy will participate in four sessions throughout the coming academic year. Sessions include workshops on student recruitment, legislative outreach, media relations, community development, fundraising and faculty relations — with the goal of introducing an aging agenda at each of their schools.
“Our inaugural group represents leaders in social work from California to Mississippi to New York, demonstrating the appeal and need for such a program as we face the most dramatic population increase among older Americans in the history of the nation,” says Katharine Briar-Lawson, past president of the association.
DU is a leader in preparing students to serve the social work needs of an aging population. The GSSW Institute of Gerontology supports research, training and community service to educate future gerontologists, provide current practitioners with state-of-the-art social service interventions and assist health and social service agencies with evaluation research, says Williams. The school offers specialized field internships and monetary stipends to selected Master of Social Work students pursuing gerontology careers.
Gerontology is not only a growing field, but a misunderstood one, says Colleen Reed, co-director of the GSSW institute. It’s not just about nursing homes, she says, but includes services to address family problems, trauma, poverty, substance abuse, dementia and a whole range of social work issues. Students are trained to address the issues of older adults in a holistic manner, she says.
The graying of the baby boomer generation poses challenges for society, says Reed, but opportunities for GSSW graduates. The National Institute on Aging projects a need for more than 60,000 geriatrically competent social workers by 2020.
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