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Mission and Goals
The Social Work Leadership Institute advances the field of aging care through a multi-pronged approach:
The Hartford Partnership Program for Aging Education (HPPAE)is a national initiative that is transforming how geriatric education is taught at Masters of Social Work programs nationwide. HPPAE's mission is to recruit and train social workers to be leaders in supporting older adults and their caregivers to maintain independence.
- Education and Training
One of SWLI's primary goals is to build leadership in aging care. In 2008, SWLI began the Leadership Academy in Aging, a leadership training program to engage Deans and Directors of Schools of Social Work.In partnership with the National Association of Deans and Directors, the LAA helps social work deans and directors advance educational models and policies that make it easier for older adults to benefit from the services of trained social workers.
- Leadership Development
- Policy Advocacy
We advocate for national and state policies that build care coordination between medical and social services for older adults into public programs that are sustained by a qualified workforce. SWLI is the co-organizer with the American Society on Aging (ASA) of the National Coalition on Care Coordination (N3C). N3C brings together key experts from a broad array of organizations involved in aging care that seek to advance models of care that will improve health and social services for older adults and their caregivers.
- Research and Evidence Building
As part of our overall mission, SWLI is building evidence to support a stronger aging care workforce and better care coordination by maintaining an online, searchable evidence-based database.
Facts & Stats on Aging & Health
Who are America's older adults?
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| This graph shows the growth of the population 65 and older from 1900 to 2008 and the even greater projected growth from 2008 to 2050. | This graph percentage of persons 65 and older by county. The highest percentages are in rural areas of the central and western part of the country, some areas of the eastern states, and Florida. |
Source: United States from the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics, 2011.
The aging population is growing.
- In 2050, the number of Americans aged 65 and older is projected to be 88.5 million, more than double its projected population of 40.2 million in 2010. (US Census Bureau, 2010)
Today's older Americans enjoy longer lives and better health than did previous generations.
- Life expectancy increased from 78 years in 2008 to 78.2 years in 2009. It was up .2 years for men, hitting 75.7 years, and inched up .1 years for women, hitting 80.6 years. (CDC, 2010)
To age well with independence and dignity, aging persons need a wide range of affordable, professional health and social services.
- Medicare covers mostly acute care services and requires beneficiaries to pay part of the cost, leaving about half of health spending to be covered by other sources (AOA, 2010).
- In 2009 older consumers averaged out-of-pocket health care expenditures of $4,846, an increase of 61% since 1999.
- Most older persons have at least one chronic condition and many have multiple conditions.
However, there is a significant shortage in the current workforce of trained professionals to care for the needs of older adults:
- By 2020, approximately 65,000 geriatric social workers are needed.
- Geriatric social work ranks as one of the top 20 careers in terms of growth potential.
- Employment in the field of geriatric social work is expected to increase faster than the average of all other occupations through 2015, due in part to shorter hospital stays and the need for care coordination at hospital discharge.
Promoting quality care through coordinated teams of well-trained professionals and caregivers is SWLI's main goal.
