California State University, Chico, School of Social Work is Part of Nationwide Effort to Train Social Workers as Effective Advocates for Older Adults

California State University, Chico, School of Social Work is one of 67 social work education programs selected in January 2002 for a two-year grant funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation Geriatric Enrichment in Social Work Education Project. The national Geriatric Enrichment Project is fiscally administered through the Council on Social Work Education and functionally administered through the University of Washington School of Social Work in Seattle, WA. The aim of the Geriatric Enrichment Project is to prepare aging-savvy social workers to improve the care and well being of older adults and their families, via sustainable social work education program curricular and organizational changes.

The number of older persons, particularly the oldest old (85+), is growing, and they need assistance to remain active and independent.Older adults, when they need help, receive it mainly from their families or a combination of family care and an assortment of community-based health and social services. Therefore, coordinating care with older adults, their families, and complex service networks is crucial. Aging-savvy social workers serve as “navigators” and “expediters,” enabling older adults and families to understand and choose among the bewildering array of available health and social services. They empower older adults and families to find the care they need. They also facilitate family support, provide counseling and direct services, and coordinate care delivered through professional systems.

In their practice roles, over 60% of social workers interact with older adults and their families. Yet the majority of social workers lack the knowledge, skills, and values for effective practice with our society’s growing population of older adults. The Hartford Foundation has committed just under $23 million nationwide to address this critical workforce need and to improve the health and quality of lives of older adults and their families. We have received $60,000 for this two-year project. We are currently in our second year of the grant. Our current focus is on the implementation and evaluation of changes undertaken to embed geriatric content in social work courses and other learning experiences. Our project includes the infusion of material on older adult in all the BSW and MSW foundation courses, the development of a resource library that includes videos, PowerPoint and overhead presentations, and other material on older adults for students, faculty, and the community.We are also involved with our local community in the production of a recruitment video for potential social work students in the field of gerontology.For more information on the grant, contact Jean Schuldberg, EdD, CSUC Project Director at 530-898-4187 or jschuldberg@csuchico.edu.