Themes in Family Care-Giving: Implications for Social Work Practice with Older Adults

2007 ◽  
Vol 38 (8) ◽  
pp. 1572-1587 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Sims-Gould ◽  
A. Martin-Matthews
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Family Care ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Care Giving

Increasing Student Empathy Toward Older Adults Using the Virtual Dementia Tour

2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. S-23-S-40
Author(s):  
Jana Donahoe ◽  
Lisa Moon ◽  
Kathy VanCleave
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Student Knowledge ◽  
Course Content

Educators know too well the challenges of teaching BSW students about social work practice with older adults. Students hesitate to work with older adults due to personal fears about aging, lack of experiences with this population, or stereotypical misconceptions about older adults and nursing homes. It is apparent that many students have difficulty empathizing with older adults because they have never experienced what it is like to be an older adult with dementia. A solution to this problem is incorporating an immersive experiential learning simulation called the Virtual Dementia Tour (VDT) into BSW course content. The findings indicate that the VDT was an effective evidence-based learning tool for increasing student knowledge about aging and improving their empathy and sensitivity toward older adults with dementia.

The Better Future International’s family care model in Tanzania: Creating social capital as a means to empowerment in social work practice

2020 ◽  
pp. 002087281988498
Author(s):  
Barbara Kail ◽  
Manoj Pardasani ◽  
Robert Chazin
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Future Orientation ◽  
Family Care ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Future Path

This article describes the impact on social services of an innovative model of family care in Moshi, Tanzania, aimed at orphaned children and youth who are affected by HIV/AIDS and their caregivers. We explore three questions: Is social capital created during the provision of social work services? If so, what aspects of the model are responsible for it? How does this social capital influence the participants’ educational/occupational aspirations and vision of the future? This qualitative study is based on a case analysis of eight adolescents and their caregivers. Data were collected from in-depth interviews. The unique aspects of a family-oriented, holistic, social service model focused on empowerment and future orientation-generated bridging, bonding, and linking social capital. Youth with more social capital appeared to have clearer visions of their future path. Implications for community-based social work practice serving marginalized and impoverished groups are presented.

Community Development with Older Adults in Their Neighborhoods: The Elder Friendly Communities Program

2005 ◽  
Vol 86 (3) ◽  
pp. 401-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol D. Austin ◽  
Elizabeth Des Camp ◽  
David Flux ◽  
Robert W. McClelland ◽  
Jackie Sieppert
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Community Development ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Community Practice ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Gerontological Social Work ◽  
Multicultural Practice ◽  
Development Practice

In this article, the authors report on lessons drawn from more than 3 years of experience with seniors-led community development at the neighborhood level, the Elder Friendly Communities Program (EFCP). Although community practice has a long history in social work, it has been largely neglected with older adults. Based on analysis of qualitative data, the authors discuss key themes that inform community development practice with seniors including (a) challenging the dominant paradigm of community-based service delivery, (b) efficiency and sustainability, (c) expectations and perceptions of expertise, (d) involvement and leadership, and (e) multicultural practice. With a growing and increasingly healthy elder population, it is time to expand the scope of gerontological social work practice beyond a focus on disability and dependency.

scholarly journals Risk Assessment and Strengths Based Case Management in Elderly Care– Scope of Social Work Practice

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 121
Author(s):  
K Minimol
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Case Management ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Independent Living ◽  
Elderly Care ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Helping Process

Social workers have a significant role in ensuring the wellbeing of older people. Social work brings a range of specialized skills and methods of interventions in improving the quality of life of older adults. Conducting proper assessment is an important task of social workers while engaging in the provision of support services. In contrast to the ubiquitous deficit-based assessments, strengths-based assessments provide social work practitioners with methods to assess strengths and abilities and thereby develop strengths-based interventions. Though risk-assessment is necessary to prevent problems occurring, understanding clients’ strengths is an integral resource in the helping process. Assessments giving equal importance to risks and strengths are inevitable in formulating and implementing specific activities to facilitate their independent living in the community. This paper highlights the significance of biopsychosocial assessment, risks/strengths assessment and strengths-based case management of older adults. This paper also presents an inventory of risks and strengths reported by older adults who attended case work and counselling sessions with the author during her role as a social worker in a multidisciplinary community health care setting in Australia.

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