It Takes a Village: Community Practice,Social Work,and Aging-in-Place

The US population of older adults will increase significantly in the coming decades. Most of these individuals prefer to age in their homes/communities. However, most communities are not prepared to handle the long-term care needs of an aging population. This article examines one model that communities are using to help older adults age-in-place, the Village. A conceptual lens based in community practice and empowerment theory is offered to explicate this model and critically evaluate social work's role in it. It also presents challenges to social work roles in facilitation and evaluation of the model.     

It takes a Village: community practice, social work, and aging-in-place

The US population of older adults will increase significantly in the coming decades. Most of these individuals prefer to age in their homes/communities. However, most communities are not prepared to handle the long-term care needs of an aging population. This article examines one model that communities are using to help older adults age-in-place, the Village. A conceptual lens based in community practice and empowerment theory is offered to explicate this model and critically evaluate social work's role in it. It also presents challenges to social work roles in facilitation and evaluation of the model.     

The Older Woman:

Interviews were conducted with 302 elderly persons residing in two ethnic urban communities to determine their problems as well as their needs for diverse community services. Sex and living arrangements were found to be critical mediators of the demand for and use of various services. A greater proportion of women than men (particularly women living alone) reported needs for household, self-maintenance, and community services. Older women living alone were also more likely to report that they had experienced neighborhood problems. Implications for designing community-based services to better meet the needs of older persons in diverse living situations are discussed.     

Increasing aging and advocacy competency: the intergenerational advocacy pilot project

The Council on Social Work Education's (CSWE) Strengthening Aging and Gerontology Education for Social Work (SAGE-SW) project, funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation partnered with the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (NCPSSM) to develop an Intergenerational Policy and Advocacy Project (IAP). This curriculum pilot project, based on a community organization model, was conducted with 13 baccalaureate social work (BSW) and master's social work (MSW) programs across the country and 122 students. The project was one method to pursue CSWE SAGE-SW's efforts to infuse aging content into social work foundation curricula, to support intergenerational teaching, to strengthen social work advocacy skills, and to provide social work students with positive experiences working with older adults. Pilot sites were asked to carry out the project as part of an existing course foundation or field practicum course. Project activities included collaboration with a variety of community agencies, holding issues or "town hall" forums in order to educate community members about critical policy issues affecting older adults; making contacts and establishing relationships with local, state and/or federal legislators; and conducting assessments of the service needs of older adults in the students' communities. Questionnaires, feedback, pre-post evaluations as well as brief accounts of each project are presented. Participants considered the IAP to be a successful project in terms of the objectives of increasing awareness and competency among social work students of aging issues and of promoting intergenerational linkages between older people and social work students.     

Old and Poor

The number of elderly residing in Florida has made it one of the "bellwether" states reflecting the future circumstances and needs of the older population (Naisbitt, 1982). This survey examines low income older men and women whose economic and social circumstances brought them to community based meal programs. A total sample of 1,083 was surveyed at day-time meal programs for the elderly poor residing in three south Florida communities. The findings of this study demonstrate that the poor elderly self report poor quality of life, high levels of isolation, unhappiness, and despair.     

Disaster Preparedness among Older Adults: Social Support,Community Participation,and Demographic Characteristics

This study examined factors associated with disaster preparedness among older adults, with special attention paid to demographic characteristics, social support, and community participation. From a larger study about disaster preparedness of persons with disabilities, a total of 719 adults aged 55 years and older were used for this study. The results of the logistic regressions indicate that individuals who have higher levels of social support and more connections to community organizations are more likely to be prepared for disaster-related emergency situations. In another model, using resource preparedness as the dependent variable, an interaction effect between social support and income was found. Overall, higher income and higher informal support are related to a higher level of resources for disaster preparedness. However, the relationship between income and disaster preparedness is much stronger for those sub-groups receiving more informal support. The findings of this study expand knowledge regarding issues of disaster preparedness among older adults and demonstrates the importance of social resources and networks. This study suggests an intervention model for decision-makers and community leaders in terms of providing information and advice to members of their communities about how to adequately prepare for natural disasters.     

Links between social environment and health care utilization and costs

The social environment influences health outcomes for older adults and could be an important target for interventions to reduce costly medical care. We sought to understand which elements of the social environment distinguish communities that achieve lower health care utilization and costs from communities that experience higher health care utilization and costs for older adults with complex needs. We used a sequential explanatory mixed methods approach. We classified community performance based on three outcomes: rate of hospitalizations for ambulatory care sensitive conditions, all-cause risk-standardized hospital readmission rates, and Medicare spending per beneficiary. We conducted in-depth interviews with key informants (N = 245) from organizations providing health or social services. Higher performing communities were distinguished by several aspects of social environment, and these features were lacking in lower performing communities: 1) strong informal support networks; 2) partnerships between faith-based organizations and health care and social service organizations; and 3) grassroots organizing and advocacy efforts. Higher performing communities share similar social environmental features that complement the work of health care and social service organizations. Many of the supportive features and programs identified in the higher performing communities were developed locally and with limited governmental funding, providing opportunities for improvement.     

Community Reentry and Older Adult Offenders: Redefining Social Work Roles

The number of older adults in US prisons continues to rise. In 2002, adults ages 50 and older made up 8% of the US prison population, up from 4% a decade prior. Many older offenders are released to communities that are poorly equipped to meet their special needs. and largely unprepared for the social and fiscal costs of their reentry. The focus of gerontological social work education on the returning older adult offender has been limited. This article examines social work roles in the community reentry/reintegration of older adult offenders. Best practices from the gerontological social work literature are presented and implications for social work practice are discussed.     

Beyond survival: Strengthening community-based support for parents receiving a family service intervention

This paper presents parents' experiences of community support and their recommendations for how their communities, and the services within them, might support their families. Generated through a human-centred design methodology and using a desire-centred framework, the findings suggest that parents receiving a family service require support invoking feelings of intimacy, trust, reciprocity, inclusivity, connection and belonging. Parents' recommendations for community support include addressing material and attitudinal constraints impacting on engagement with services; creating non-judgmental services tailored to their needs but accessed as a last resort; and creating peer-based opportunities to support each other. Parents reflect that moving beyond basic survival of risk and vulnerability to a position where thriving is possible requires purposeful integration of parent's existing and desired community into service interventions. Facilitating deliberate change at the intersection of community and service support is pertinent to current and future social work policy and practice. Wider opportunities for understanding and enabling the needs and aspirations of parents, which are often overlooked because of a focus on addressing risk and vulnerability, are considered.     

“Working with COW”: Social Work Supporting Older Women Living in the Community

ABSTRACT

Australia, like all developed Western countries, is experiencing a demographic shift resulting in an increasing proportion of the population being over the age of 65 years. Contrary to stereotypes, the vast majority of older people live independently in communities. This article explores the potential of social work practice informed by community development principles to enable socially disadvantaged older women to live in vibrant and supportive communities, in which they feel safe and are able to access the support services they need. It argues that participation in social action not only builds older women’s well-being but also enables them to become (or continue to be) agents for social change in local communities. Adopting a community-based research methodology, this article draws on a decade of community development practice with the Concerned Older Women’s (COW) Group. This data suggests that community development practice based on participation, empowerment, and social action founded on respectful relationships may accrue significant benefits to individuals and the broader community. This social work practice creates the social conditions to facilitate older women’s capacity to work collectively to achieve social change, challenging ageist stereotypes.     

社区“居民需求网”架构研究

构建社会主义和谐社会必然要求建设和谐社区,建设和谐社区的关键环节是什么?本文认为,建设和谐社区应以满足居民需求为中心,紧紧围绕"居民需求"开展社区建设与社区服务工作,建设完善的"居民需求网"。社区"居民需求网"应包括"需求了解网"、"需求满足网"、"需求评估网",三者共同架构起一个需求网络体系。和谐社区的建设工作,应以社区"居民需求网"建构为重心。     

Transitions in Caregiving: Evaluating a Person-Centered Approach to Supporting Family Caregivers in the Community

Caregivers of older adults provide a wide range of informal supports and services that enable older adults to continue living in the community. This study describes the use of a multicomponent intervention combined with a person-centered approach to assist caregivers of older adults in the community. Four hundred and eighteen caregiver and care recipient dyads participated in this study and their outcomes related to burden, depression, well-being, and care recipient functional status were evaluated. The findings suggest that adult child and spousal caregivers experience burden differently. Programs designed to support caregivers must tailor services to the unique needs of adult child and spousal caregivers.     

A Model for Community-Based Mental Health Services for Older Adults:

The mental health needs of older adults have historically been underserved by existing mental health service delivery systems. This paper presents a model for the delivery of comprehensive mental health services to older adults in their own homes, based on sound clinical practice, and incorporating a cross-cultural perspective coupled with a strong social and community support base.     

城市社区认同感的培育——对南通市崇川区学田街道的调查分析

城市社区为满足社区居民的需求而建立,凝结着社区居民各方面的利益。居民本应具有较强的社区认同感,然而当前城市社区认同感的缺失却日益严重。通过对南通市崇川区学田街道的实证调查,本文认为培育城市社区认同感,既要加强城市社区文化建设,主要包括社区服务文化建设和社区管理文化建设;同时需要鼓励、支持和动员居民参加社区建设。     

As Parents Grow Older:

For those older persons with families, the family is the vital, natural support system while also being the link between the older person and formal community supports. No matter how many community services and supports are provided for older persons, these services only supplement the emotional ties and support from the families. Enhancing the family's supportive role is crucial. This paper describes a community based support group model called "As Parents Grow 0lder" as an example of a systematic, effective effort to provide services to this natural system. This model has evolved and been used with 10 different groups totalling l25 participants over the past four years.     

乡-城移民社会融入的实践策略研究：社区融入的视角

本研究基于社区融入的视角,探讨中国乡城移民的社会融入的实践策略与理论模式。作者梳理出移民的社区融入的组织化、专业化、政策行动和文化融入这四项实践策略,以使各社区能及时回应移民普遍性需求,提供制度支持,改善政策环境,营造融入文化。作者还提出了在社区实务研究的基础上,发展移民的社会全面融入的理论模式的重要性,即从跨社区融入的广度视角与决策融入的深度视角,推动乡城移民的社会资本由农村向城市的转移与发展,实现全面的社会融入。     

Sheltered Housing and Community

This paper considers the role of sheltered housing following the introduction of new community care arrangements in 1993 and examines the continuing uncertainty about its exact role as community care continues to develop. It reports on a study conducted in Shropshire, using a postal survey and interviews with older people and service professionals. The study highlights the importance of sheltered housing for older people, particularly in relieving them of concerns about maintenance and repairs, social isolation and security. These factors were crucial for their overall peace of mind and quality of life. While only a small proportion of tenants received help under social services' community care arrangements, the additional support, monitoring and service coordination provided by wardens helped some of them to remain in sheltered housing when residential or nursing home care might otherwise have been necessary. Sheltered housing was overwhelmingly popular with older people — but their satisfaction was closely associated with the availability and quality of the warden service. Although sheltered housing is not currently in vogue in housing policy, the paper argues that it plays a vital role in local provision for older people and needs to be more closely integrated into community care policy, while at the same time preserving the characteristics that make it popular with its residents.     

Long-Term Care Gets Personal

A pilot outreach program was designed to reduce social isolation and meet the social service needs of elderly living in the community. In order to meet the social service needs of 72 socially isolated older persons, peer counselors used a problem solving casework approach focused on enhancing self-help skills. Community development efforts and networking techniques were implemented to encourage participants to expand their social interaction networks and develop peer support systems. An evaluation of the pilot program suggests that it was successful in decreasing social isolation and in meeting the social service of those who were served.     

Correlates of Attitudes Toward Personal Aging in Older Assisted Living Residents

This study explored factors contributing to older adults’ self-perceptions about their own aging in assisted living (AL) communities. Data analysis was completed based on interviews with 150 older residents from 17 AL communities. Multiple regression analyses found that functional disability and hearing impairment negatively affected attitudes toward personal aging among AL residents, and satisfaction with social support positively influenced attitudes. Health perception mediated attitudes toward personal aging. Findings suggest the importance of social workers helping older AL residents recognize social support as a means of promoting their positive self-regard.     

Bringing the community in: partnerships for aging enrichment

Aging enrichment of undergraduate social work curricula ensures that program graduates will be prepared to practice with older adults. This article reports the results of focus group research that was designed to engage social workers from community agencies serving older adults in preparing students to become "aging-savvy" social workers. The workers highlighted the importance of wide-ranging exposure to older adults, the changing needs of older adults, and the importance of increasing students' comfort with self-determination. These findings informed the program's ongoing curricular transformation process through the incorporation of new assignments that enabled increased contact with older adults in a variety of settings.