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Social Work with Aging Populations
Chapter Summary
This chapter introduces students to some of the dominant theories and models shaping our understanding of aging and their associated impact on policies, practices, and experiences of aging. The relevance of knowledge and skills in aging for social work practice regardless of setting is emphasized, and facts and figures documenting the changing landscape of older adults in Canada are offered.
This chapter also provides students with an overview of two areas of service provision of particular relevance to older adults and their families: Canadian pension policies and programs, and long-term care services, which include publicly-funded home-care programs, community support services, supportive/assisted living facilities, and facility-based long-term care. Students are challenged to consider how current approaches to service provision in these areas impact older adults in divergent social and economic circumstances including ethnicity and immigration, poverty and homelessness, rural aging, and mental health.
This chapter concludes by offering students an overview of the theoretical and policy debates surrounding elder abuse, an issue of growing concern nationally and internationally. Students are introduced to the dominant definitions of elder abuse and are invited to critically consider issues such as the legitimacy of adult protective services, the relationship between elder abuse and ageism, and the implications of current understandings of elder abuse on divergent ethno-cultural groups of older adults.
Learning Objectives
The goal of this chapter is to do the following:
- Appreciate how assumptions and frameworks about aging shape policy, practice, and experiences of aging.
- Recognize how Canadian policies and services affect experiences of aging.
- Consider how social locations, such as ethnicity/race, gender, ability, sexual orientation, and economic status can affect older adults’ experiences of aging and access to aging services.
- Appreciate how practitioners’ cultural values, beliefs, and attitudes about aging influence their work with older adults.
- Consider alternate ways of thinking about and intervening with older adults facing a variety of issues or challenges.