Fall 2012 Issue 4

Leadership Opportunities for Social Work and Gerontology Faculty: Taking Steps to Infuse Aging Content on University Campuses

Maria Claver, PhD, MSW & Melanie Horn-Maller, PhD, University of California Los Angeles

Brief Biography: Maria Claver earned a MSW from UCLA in 2001 and a PhD in Social Welfare from UCLA in 2006. She is currently an Assistant Professor at California State University, Long Beach and a Research Health Scientist at VA Emergency Management Evaluation Center. 

Abstract: Given that college students, irrespective of their chosen field or career, who enter the workforce today and in the near future, will inevitably encounter and work on behalf of older adults, social work and gerontological faculty must prepared students for aging-related careers. Unfortunately, research studies suggest a shortage of professionals capable of providing effective services to older adults and that some already working with older adults have limited knowledge regarding aging. Also, students generally have little exposure to aging-related content, which further exacerbates the diminished desire to work with older adults. Social work faculty are in unique position to serve as leaders and change agents to work with non-aging related faculty, which can then build a workforce of future professionals whose work will inevitably intersect with older adults. We present  current aging –related data and trends within several non-social work academic arenas, including marketing, counseling, child and adolescent studies, criminal justice, and engineering. We then illuminate strategies for integrating aging content, such as interdisciplinary campus programs and classroom activities in hopes of inspiring faculty to infuse aging related content into their academic activities. 

Keywords: aging, leadership, social work, gerontology, curriculum

Enhancing the Understanding of Complicated Grief in Older Adults: Symptoms, Risk Factors, and Intervention Options

Erica Fragnito, Greater Rochester Collabortive MSW Program of Nazareth College and SUNY Brockport

Brief biography: Erica Fragnito graduated with her MSW degree from the Greater Rochester Collaborative MSW Program of  College at Brockport, State University of NY and Nazareth College in May 2011. She completed her generalist year field placement at the Rochester Presbyterian Home, an assisted living facility where she worked with older adults with cognitive challenges and their families. Her advanced MSW placement was with Life Time Assistance, a certified Hospice agency.  While an MSW student Erica wrote an evidence-based paper on Complicated Grief   for her integrated field seminar class.  This topic was also presented in a poster for the March 2011 State Society on Aging Student Conference in Rochester NY.   Erica is licensed as an LMSW in NYS and is now working at Lifetime Care - Home Care and Hospice as a Hospice Social Worker  in Rochester NY.

The Role of the Social Worker in Transitional Care: Working with Older Adults with Dementia

Sue Murphy, MSW, Loyola University Chicago

Brief biography: Sue Murphy works at Aging Care Connections in suburban Chicago as a Money Follows the Person Transition Coordinator and as an elder abuse investigator.  After an internship in hospice and years of caregiving, she knew her passion is working with older adults.  Sue also recognizes that now is the time to develop leadership among social workers to advocate for the fastest growing segment of the population. 

Abstract:  Social workers in the field of aging recognize that Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias are increasing.  Psycho-social issues will impact adults with dementia and their caregivers.  The Bridge Transition model from hospital to home and Patient Centered Medical Homes are two initiatives that social workers must become involved in.   Social workers can reduce hospital readmission rates by maximizing community resources and providing the education needed. 

Keywords: Bridge Model, dementia

A Social Ecological Perspective of the Barriers to Hospice Referral: Opportunities for Social Work Intervention

Lindsay Prizer, MSW, LCSW, University of North Carolina at Chaper Hill, School of Social Work

Brief Biography: Lindsay is an HPPAE scholar who graduated from UNC’s MSW program in 2010. After graduation, she worked as the Clinical Social Worker and Center Coordinator for UNC’s Movement Disorders Center for two years, and in 2012, she moved back to Georgia to begin a PhD program in Public Health, Health Promotion and Behavior at the University of Georgia. 

Abstract: Hospice, through a wide array of services, aims to improve quality of life at the end of life by providing pain/symptom management, offering patient and family supports, allowing the patient to choose the location of his or her death, and providing bereavement support to families after the patient’s passing. Although evidence shows that hospice can improve symptom management and lead to enhanced quality of life, many eligible patients do not receive hospice services prior to death due to delays in referrals. Using the social ecological framework, this article examines barriers to timely hospice utilization at the individual, interpersonal, institutional, community, and policy levels. Social workers in aging and medical settings are in optimal positions to address some of these barriers, and possible areas for social work intervention at the individual and interpersonal levels are discussed. It is important for social workers to be aware of the factors affecting timely hospice referrals in order to help dispel myths, provide support, and improve communication about care options and preferences at this highly vulnerable stage of life

Physician-Assisted Death: In Consideration of the Right to Die

Tova Messer, MSW, Rutgers University

Brief Biography: Tova Messer is a non-profit professional and writer living in New York City.  Upon completing a tenure administering The Wexner Foundation's Heritage Program for Jewish lay leaders, she began a new position at The YIVO Institute for Jewish research, which teaches, studies and preserves Eastern European and Russian Jewish history, language and culture.  Tova holds a Masters in Social Work and a Bachelors in English Literature with a minor in Anthropology from Rutgers University, where she was a 2009 Hartford Partnership Program for Aging Education Fellow.  She finds older adults inspiring as a result of their wisdom, lack of inhibition, and their role as a link to our past.

Abstract:
This paper discusses Physician-Assisted Death, also called Physician-Assisted Suicide, including its legality and morality.  It analyses the critical role of Social Workers with regard to PAD and in assisting with end-of-life decision-making of patients and their families.  Arguing in favor of greater consideration of PAD in policy and practice, the author examines such matters as individual versus communal responsibility, positions of influence versus self-determination, and a comparison between quality and quantity of life.

A Wider Path: Spiritual Experiences of LGBT Seniors

Elizabeth Rose, MSW, California State University Northridge

Brief Biography: Elizabeth Rose, M.S.W., is a recent graduate of California State University, Northridge (May 2012) and the Geriatric Social Work Education Consortium. She has interests in geriatrics; underserved populations, particularly the LGBT community; women and girls; spirituality in social work (particularly interfaith and non-Abrahamic faith communities); and the use of mindfulness interventions in clinical work. She enjoys teaching and creates educational documentaries for counseling professionals and others as advocacy work.

Abstract: While there is a significant body of research in the field of geriatrics regarding spirituality and religious participation,very little, if any research explores issues of LGBT spiritual needs, development or quality of life benefits from spiritual/religious engagement. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to better understand the benefits and barriers to participation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Elders (adults 62 and over) in spiritual and or religious practices and communities. The study involved 12 interviews with LGBT elders, where themes were identified and used to further refine the search for information regarding the following areas: stigma, acceptance, community and legacy. The study was intended to help provide information regarding this area of practice and to assist in the formation of guidelines for helping professionals to improve services to this community.

Keywords: seniors, elders, spirituality, religion, social work, counseling, therapy, LGBT, GLBT, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender