Summary
Contents
Subject index
The SAGE Handbook of Social Work is the world's first generic major reference work to provide an authoritative guide to the theory, method, and values of social work in one volume. Drawn from an international field of excellence, the contributors each offer a critical analysis of their individual area of expertise. The result is this invaluable resource collection that not only reflects upon the condition of social work today but also looks to future developments.
Older People
Older People
The dramatic growth of the population age 65 and older worldwide is often referred to as a demographic imperative because it affects all social institutions: families, the workplace, educational settings, housing, and health and mental healthcare systems. Addressing older adults' needs is challenging, since they are more heterogeneous by gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and functional ability than any other age group. Although many adults face vulnerabilities and inequities as they age, most elders are resilient, even in the face of chronic illness. This chapter describes demographic changes in developed and developing countries, highlights the increasing diversity of older adults in Western societies, and reviews trends in physical, mental, and social well-being and emerging concepts of active ageing (i.e., ageing in a healthy manner across the life course), and elder-friendly communities for ‘ageing in place occurring in the USA and Western European countries. It concludes with a discussion of emergent leadership roles for social workers to enhance the well-being of elders and their families within the context of chronic care and healthcare reform. Such leadership is critical, since social workers in developed countries in all practice arenas increasingly interact with older adults and their families in child welfare, family services, schools, community centres, mental health facilities, and among the homeless.
Social workers, key members of interdisciplinary healthcare teams, are not prepared to meet the growing demand for geriatric care. The US National Institute on Aging has projected a need for 60,000 to 70,000 geriatric social workers by 2020. In 2001, only 3% of the 150,000 members of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) in the USA identified their primary area of practice as geriatric. By 2005, 9% of a sample of licenced NASW members identified ageing as their field of practice. Among these, fewer than 5% had received gerontological social work training (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2004; Whitaker et al., 2006). Unless social work education programmes become more effective in engaging faculty to teach gerontological competencies and in recruiting students to specialise in gerontology, the current situation will grow into an elder care workforce crisis (ElderCare Workforce Alliance, 2009).
Definitions
Defining old age is a challenge, given the increasing heterogeneity of the older population (now encompassing two to three generations) and the greatest growth of the oldest-old segment, particularly centenarians. Significant differences are found among the ‘young-old’ (ages 65–74), the ‘old old’ (ages 75–84), and the ‘oldest old’ (age 85 and over). However, ageing cannot be defined merely chronologically, which only partially reflects the biological, psychological, and social–cultural processes as people age. A more relevant distinction is functional age or the ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs), such as eating, bathing, walking, and dressing, that require cognitive and physical well-being [World Health Organization (WHO), 2002].
Ageing as a Global Phenomenon
Global aging is among the most pivotal changes of our time. Stark demographic differences among nations will significantly shape almost every aspect of national and international life. Demographics affect growth rates, intergenerational distribution of income, the structure of markets, the balance of savings and consumption, and many other economic variables. Socially, the world will change as well, as families come to have three, four, sometimes even five generations alive at one time. International relations, too, will change as some countries grow and others shrink. The stakes are high (George P. Schultz, Stanford University, March 2007).
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