The Future
Due to the shifting demographics, some
in academics are calling for more public education of the expected results of aging in America. Hendricks, (1995),
for example, suggests that there must be more public dialogue on the “social construction of old age; Extent of the
services provided for elderly people; Social impact of professional authority; [and the] Impact of gerontology on society”
(p. 51). With reference to Social Systems theory, one of the most important statements
in his article is:
Old age is what we make it, not just in our daily lives but
in our profession. While
we commonly assert that old
age is naturally distinct and undeniably real,
the truth is
that it is an outgrowth of institutionalized social
arrangements that
are a part of our way of life. When
you think about it, the way we view old age
stems,
in part, from our very successes at extending life and
controlling death (p.
52).
After 2010, the World War II baby
boomers will begin to retire in large numbers. With the demographic shifts in the aging of America and middle aged women working outside of the home, Cherlin (2005) projects a crisis in family adult caregiving.
As
marriage becomes less stable, and kinship networks remain the work of women, more men will be left without adequate support from kin. The difference is most apparent
in later life (p. 504).
With this projected increase in the older population, some in the
social work field are asking how to prepare new workers to deal with those demographic shifts. One example is the journal
article by Rosen, et. al., (2001) which outlines the poor response that social work currently has towards the increasing aged
population. They consider the number of social workers that currently express interest in the older populations and suggest
ways of increasing the numbers through educational changes. “The demand for competent social workers who wish to work
exclusively with aging populations will continue to increase significantly in coming decades” (p. 69).
Netting et. al., (1998) suggested some ways to get physicians to work
more closely with social workers for the overall benefit of the patient/client. Although not all elderly will be working with
a social worker in the future, this article contends that there will be a great need within the aging population and that
a specialization towards this end needs to be created.
Emlet et. al., (2004) take this concept of social workers dealing directly
with physicians and other health professionals for the benefit of the patient/client one step further in discussing older
adults who have HIV infections. They explore “the parallel structures and service delivery systems of the Older Americans
Act and the Ryan White CARE ACT” and they suggest social workers need to be familiar with both. They call for an “integration
or coordination of aging and HIV services.” Their reasoning is that under current practice, many older adults with HIV
infections are “unserved, unseen, and unheard” (p.86).
Takamura’s article in Health
& Social Work (1999) suggests that social work is in a particularly good position to meet the needs of older Americans
in the 21st century. She defined areas that would be important for social workers to prepare for:
Although older women and ethnic minorities
will require special attention because
they will continue to be the most at risk in their later years, three general clusters of need were identified in this discussion: long term care and caregiver support, life course planning, and
the modernization of services and programs
for older Americans (p.323).
She suggested life course planning as a means of helping future generations
cope with increasing life expectancy. Her main concern is that the youth of the 21st century need to take better
care of their health since they will live very long lives and chronic illnesses can make those years less pleasant and productive.
Takamura’s concept of modernization of services and programs is
based on the premise that social work can do better in helping older adults by paying attention to research that shows more
positive outcomes and is more efficient. The success of research pilot programs, such as PACE, are the basis of her optimism.
Diane Justice sees the future as a period of great conflict; not only
between generations fighting for their piece of the Federal pie, but also within generations. In her article (1995) she suggests
that the federal dollars actually received by the AAAs fall far short of their mission statements. She also asserts that universal
access for older people may be a myth and that more attention needs to be paid to those most at need.
In combination, these
factors have yielded a distribution of resources to services that are provided in high volume at relatively low cost per recipient –useful, but thereby limiting
the ability of the program to intensively
serve older people with more complex needs (p.58).
She further contends that, at least to some degree, the federal aging
network and the state aging networks are at odds with each other due to the contexts in which they operate. “…once
program funding reaches a certain threshold, [state] policy makers and advocate alike begin to realize that resources must
be directed to people in need through specific standards. In contrast, [federal] policy makers may conclude that establishing
functional and income-related criteria for the OAA would only highlight the extent to which its resources fall short of its
promise” (p. 62).
