Geriatric Social Worker

RUNNING HEAD: GERIATRIC SOCIAL WORKER

The Geriatric Social Worker

Lindsey Thomas

University of Phoenix

Social work is defined as “a social science involving the application of social theory and research methods to study and improve the lives of people, groups, and societies” (Wikipedia, 2009). A social worker’s main concern with social problems, the things that cause them, ways to solve those problems, and the impact they have on society. Social workers work with individuals, families, groups, organizations and full communities. A geriatric social worker specializes in locating and connecting aging people to necessary resources: visiting nurse service, hospice care, medical aide services, transportation, housekeeping, residential care homes, and nursing homes. For the families looking for help, those resources are a lifeline to regaining their current lives. It gives the elderly a sense of control over their own lives when they feel like they’ve lost it all.

In 2007 the number of people 65 and older was 37.9 million in the United States. The current projected population for that same age group approximately 40 years from now is 88.5 million. It would comprise about 20 percent of the total population (dads, 2009). Dr. Denise Liley says, Social work is about helping, about being an agent of change and about knowing how to access resources. To become a geriatric social worker opened me to a world all of us with eventually become involved with-aging-aging parents, aging grandparents, aging siblings, aging friends, or aging spouses. The number of older people, particularly those over 85, is growing, and they need more assistance to remain active and independent. Well-trained, aging-savvy social workers serve as "navigators" and "expediters," empowering older adults and families to understand and choose among the bewildering array of available health and social services. They also provide counseling and direct services, facilitate family support, and...