Recognizing the Importance of Aging Skills and Knowledge in Generalist Social Work Practice: Effective Strategies for MSW Students

This article examines the impact of a curricular infusion strategy aimed at integrating gerontological practice issues into social work education. Findings (N = 83) illustrate that student interest, knowledge, and skills in aging practice increased immediately following implementation of a three-tiered infusion approach; however, ongoing exposure to gerontology in and out of the classroom appears necessary to sustain students' interest in working with older adults over time. Although the majority of students endorsed aging issues as important to social work in general, many did not understand its relevance to their own careers. Next steps are outlined to enable students to make this important connection.     

Bridging the Gap: Gerontology and Social Work Education

ABSTRACT

The following study was implemented to explore the potential for a four-week curriculum module in gerontological social work education to positively impact students' practice-related knowledge concerning older adults, as well as their attitudes toward elderly persons and interest in working with them. Pertinent literature was reviewed to conceptualize the building of a gerontology curriculum module that could be integrated into a pre-existing social work course. The module's design and content were reflective of its primary goal, which was to educate students about salient aspects of social work knowledge, skill, and practice with older adults utilizing experiential methods. Data analysis revealed a significant increase in students' knowledge of aging (t?=?12.23, df?=?106, p?<?0.01), significant decline in students' ageist attitudes (t?=?3.34, df?=?106, p <?0.01), and an increased interest in working with older adults as clients (z?=?3.162, p <?0.05). Given the pending unprecedented growth in the older adult population and the lack of gerontology education in social work programs, this study attempts to bridge this gap.     

Building capacity in ageing research: Implications from a survey of emerging researchers in Australia

Objective: The National Emerging Researchers in Ageing Study (NERAS) set out to inform capacity‐building efforts in ageing research. Its purpose was to identify the interest, attitudes and motives of PhD students to enter the field and factors influencing intention to remain. Method: A web‐based survey was sent to 267 PhD students in ageing. It assessed attitudes towards older people and the importance of a variety of factors influencing students’ interest and decision to engage in ageing research. Results: The response rate was 60% (n = 161). Positive attitudes, interest in ageing issues and concern for older people were key motivating factors to work or study in the field. Supervisors in ageing and initial interest in the field were key predictors of intention to remain in the field. Conclusions: NERAS is the first national study of emerging researchers in ageing and it provides important new knowledge with implications for capacity‐building efforts.     

Fostering Social Work Gerontological Competencies: Qualitative Analysis of an Intergenerational Service-Learning Course

This article describes the development and qualitative student outcomes of an intergenerational service-learning course designed to promote social work gerontological competencies. Efforts focused on creating a learning environment to actively promote learning opportunities for students and older adults. The course was hosted at a local, private, not-for-profit senior housing location where older adults were invited to actively participate in the course activities. A total of 37 undergraduate and graduate students completed the course. Content and narrative analysis was conducted using text from a final structured reflective journal assignment. This analysis identified themes related to the “explicit” and “implicit” pedagogy of the course that details students' educational growth. The results of this study indicate that intergenerational service-learning coursework may help foster geriatric competencies among graduate and undergraduate students. The benefits of utilizing social work gerontological competencies to guide course objectives, content, and student outcomes are discussed.     

Social work students’ Service Learning experiences with grandfamilies: Contact,comfort, and attitudes

ABSTRACT

One way to increase student learning about older adults and aging family issues is to engage in community-based field experiences. Results from pre- and post-surveys with 29 Bachelors of Social Work students enrolled in a year-long practicum course to assess their change in the level of contact, comfort, and attitudes with older adults and grandfamilies (i.e., grandparents/kin and the children in their home) are discussed. Students who met with grandfamilies (n = 9) were compared to students who met with older adults in a nursing home (n = 6) and students who met with children from an afterschool program or child treatment facility (n = 9). One-way ANOVA’s revealed group differences in contact and quality of contact with grandfamilies. No significant differences were found for contact with older adults or comfort working with older adults and grandfamilies, or for attitudes toward older adults between the three groups. As a result of this project, educators should develop learning opportunities for students to increase their contact and comfort with older adults and aging families.     

Social Work Faculty Interest in Aging: Impact of Education,Knowledge, Comfort,and Experience

As the need for gerontological social workers increases, it is important to assess faculty interest in strengthening and bolstering this area in the classroom and curriculum. This study sought to compare training and experience of social work faculty that identified aging as a teaching or research interest with faculty who did not, and to identify predictors of aging interest among faculty. A national sample of social work faculty members was recruited, and a total of 609 individuals participated in the study. The findings reveal that faculty with an interest in aging differed from nonaging faculty in the areas of knowledge of older adults, personal and paid experience, and graduate and continuing education. In addition, predictors of interest in aging included taking a graduate course, continuing education units, having paid and volunteer experience, level of knowledge of older adults, and comfort level of covering content on aging in the classroom. The connection between social work faculty and student interest in aging are discussed as implications for further social work research and education.     

Need for social work education and practice in the prevention of HIV/AIDS: A case study of Pakistan

ABSTRACT

HIV/AIDS in Pakistan was first diagnosed in 1986. The National AIDS Control Program was formulated in 1987. Unfortunately, after spending 26 years on the prevention of HIV/AIDS, we are still missing a major professional field in this effort: there is no evidence of the social worker in the National Health Policy of 2001 and in the National HIV/AIDS Policy of 2007. The aim of this study is to present the history and analysis of AIDS policies, laws, and strategic framework of Pakistan and make suggestions in social work education and practice’s role in combating HIV/AIDS in the country.     

Angiogenic growth factors inhibit chondrocyte ageing in osteoarthritis: potential involvement of catabolic stress‐induced overexpression of caveolin‐1 in cellular ageing

Objective: Recently, attention has been attracted by the finding that overexpression of caveolin‐1 induces cellular senescence in age‐related diseases. We aimed to ascertain whether angiogenic growth factors (AGFs) can inhibit interleukin (IL)‐1β‐induced senescence in human chondrocytes by downregulation of caveolin‐1. Methods: We investigated the intracellular signalling pathways involved in chondrocyte ageing. Human chondrocytes were isolated from the articular cartilage of patients undergoing arthroplastic knee surgery in osteoarthritis (OA). Chondrocytes were stimulated with or without IL‐1β (10 ng/mL) in the presence or absence of vascular endothelial growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor or hepatocyte growth factor (20 ng/mL). After 72‐h incubation, we observed the expression of caveolin‐1 in human chondrocytes by immunohistochemistry, and analysed the protein levels of caveolin‐1 by Western blot. We examined the time‐course of phosphorylation patterns of mammalian mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) and phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3‐K) by Western blot, and used several specific protein kinase inhibitors to evaluate the involvement of the intracellular signalling pathways. Also, chondrocyte replicative lifespan was analyzed in the presence or absence of AGFs. Results: Treatment with AGFs inhibited IL‐1β‐induced overexpression of caveolin‐1 in human OA chondrocytes. Treatment with AGFs all down‐regulated protein levels of IL‐1β‐accelarated expression of caveolin‐1 in chondrocytes. IL‐1β significantly decreased the cellular replicative lifespan in chondrocytes. Treatment with AGFs prevented the IL‐1β‐induced shortening of chondrocyte replicative lifespan. The specific inhibitors for MAPK/extracellular signal‐regulated kinase and PI3‐K cancelled the AGF‐induced downregulation of overexpression of caveolin‐1. Conclusion: Our results suggest that AGFs downregulated IL‐1β‐induced chondrocyte ageing and overexpression of caveolin‐1 in human chondrocytes, which is mediated by kinase cascades involving the p42/44 MAP kinase and PI3‐K/Akt signalling pathways.     

Promoting healthy ageing for those over 65 with the health check log: a pilot study

Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of the health check log (HCL) in promoting health awareness, health monitoring skills and timely consultation with health professionals for persons aged 65 years and over. Methods: Thirty‐five men and women aged 65 years and over volunteered to record the HCL for 12 months, participated in regular telephone interviews to discuss recordings and attended focus group discussions at the conclusion of the pilot. Results: The HCL raised participants’ awareness of less tangible aspects of health, revealed gaps in their health knowledge base, improved self‐assessment and prompted consultation for several physiological and a few psychosocial health concerns. Conclusion: When follow‐up support was provided, the HCL proved to be a useful health promotion activity for participants aged 65 years and over.     

Knowledge and social change in Samia,Western Kenya

Cross-cultural studies have demonstrated the significance of control of knowledge for the status and treatment of old people. This paper is a case study of information processing activities of elderly Samia in colonial Kenya and changes in those activities with modernization. Some ways elders controlled knowledge in the traditional context of the past are reconstructed from interviews with older Samia persons. This is compared to the situation in the 1980s as observed during two years' field research. Implications of the changes for the status and treatment of elderly Samia, for intergenerational relations among the Samia, and for gerontological theory are discussed.A shorter version of this paper entitled Gender, Aging, Change: The Life Course inA shorter version of this paper entitled Gender, Aging, Change: The Life Course inA shorter version of this paper entitled Gender, Aging, Change: The Life Course in     

Managing social anxiety among undergraduate adult education and extra-mural studies students: An intervention study

Background/Objective:Anxiety is a significant problem affecting University students including undergraduate adult education and extra-mural studies students. This research evaluated the impact of a group rational-emotive behavioral education intervention (group rational-emotive behavioral education intervention [REBEI]) on social anxiety symptoms among undergraduate adult education and extra-mural studies students.Method:Eighty six students participated in the study by belonging to either treatment group (n = 43) or control group (n = 43). A REBEI treatment program was developed by the researchers was used to implement the experiment and data was collected using a 22-item questionnaire on social anxiety. Analyzes of data were done using repeated measures ANOVA and paired t-test.Results:Results showed that despite the social anxiety experienced before exposure to the intervention, the social anxiety symptoms of the undergraduate adult education and extra-mural studies students in the treatment group reduced significantly at post-treatment and follow-up compared to students in the control group.Conclusion:REBEI demonstrated its clinical usefulness in treating undergraduate adult education and extra-mural studies students with social anxiety problem.