Gerontological Social Work Task Force
Summary of the NADD Gerontology Task Force Meeting - March 16, 2009
Deans/Directors to the Gero Task Force meeting and members of the Hartford Foundation were among the meeting’s guests.
Changes in the economic landscape will challenge the Task Force’s hopes for foundation funds. The New York Academy of Medicine, Social Work Leadership Institute, will provide feedback in the next month or so on whether funding for the Leadership Institute will be reduced, thus possibly reducing the pool of those trained in the upcoming year.
What are options for future projects? This discussion addressed the importance of continuing to be productive in our task group, the interprofessional nature of gerontology work, how silos challenge our cooperative work across campus units and in practice, and to consider the use of a diffuse approach to the pipeline issue by providing gero career direction in our teaching and career discussion with MSW and BSW students.
Where and in what direction is the group to move forward? Deans/Directors should work to build relationships with state administrators in aging units and have clear statements of social work practice with aging adults.
Members present agreed on the need to create a manuscript that described social work with aging adults and how to use our leadership to advance gero social work. Specific topics to address include intergerationality, service to aging populations across settings; aging adults within their families; and curriculum infusion successes.
Next Task: A group of task force members, Nancy Kropf (Georgia State University), Bruce Friedman (California State U: Bakersfield), and Mona Schatz (U of Wyoming), agreed to start a “working paper” that addressed many of the issues surfaced in this meeting. This paper could identify directions for the Task Force.
Future Work: With the John A. Hartford Foundation and the NY Academy of medicine, NADD and our Task Force need to look at ways to sustain the NADD-NY Academy of Medicine Leadership Academy for Deans and Directors. This may involve more of an investment of funds from the applicant’s institution given the funding shortfalls for any future cohorts.
James “Ike” Adams, Co-Chair
Katharine Briar-Lawson, Co-Chair
