Advancing Gerontological Social Work Education

s your gerontological social work program as comprehensive—and as well attended—as it could be?

Advancing Gerontological Social Work Education will help you develop courses that effectively prepare social work students and practitioners to work with the ever-increasing older population. It clearly presents the rationale for geriatric/gerontological preparation and defines the current status of geriatric/gerontological education. With fascinating case studies, detailed curricula, and a review of the skills and knowledge competencies necessary for effective geriatric social work practice, this book also describes a variety of courses and teaching programs in detail—noting the problems that other educators have encountered and offering practical suggestions to help in replicating the programs in other institutions.

This book is especially useful because it not only examines the issues surrounding—and need for—increased gerontological education for social workers, but because it follows this with specific, concrete descriptions of educational approaches and curricula. It provides you with both the framework and the specifics to develop your own gerontological social work education program at the graduate or undergraduate level. Helpful charts and tables make the information easy to access and understand.

Advancing Gerontological Social Work Education is divided into three sections, each of which will increase your knowledge and understanding of this vital area of social work education. The first section examines:

• the historical development of gerontological social work education
• the CSWE/SAGE-SW Competencies Project
• the importance of interdisciplinary teamwork—and the educational basis for interdisciplinary team training, highlighting organizational context, team structure, team process, and team outcomes
• ways to increase students' interest in this vital area of social work

In the second section of this well-referenced book, you will examine school-based initiatives, focusing on:

• the development and implementation of the John A. Hartford Foundation Geriatric Social Work Initiative
• the recruitment of students into geriatric social work—with an examination of a fellowship program
• the relationship between the aging population of the United States and the growing demand for geriatric social workers-and how that need can be met through graduate-level social work training
• developing a field training rotation model
• a doctoral fellowship program and its dissertation support, mentorship, and leadership development

The third section of Advancing Gerontological Social Work Education features:

• an empirical study exploring the potential for a limited curriculum module to enhance MSW and BSW students' gerontological practice-related knowledge, attitudes, and interest
• an overview of the history and rationale of service learning in elder care
• a description of the varied service learning in elder care programs
• an experiential exercise that was used successfully to assist graduate students in integrating and applying their knowledge about geriatric assessment
• the results of interviews with MSW students about the appropriateness of their preparation for medical social work with an aged population—conducted at the beginning, midpoint, and end of their field placements
• a report on incorporating intergenerational service learning into an undergraduate introductory gerontology course
• the use of the “family study,” which exposes teams of students for 20 weeks to a family that includes an older adult