Current Realities

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Social Work
• Healthcare Education

Background:

• Nursing home social workers are crucial for psychosocial care.
• Current social work education may not adequately prepare practitioners for geriatric care.
• There is a recognized need for specialized training in elder care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To survey nursing home social workers regarding their practice.
• To assess current education and training in geriatric social work.
• To identify specific training needs for working with the aged and their families.

Main Methods:

• Survey data collected from professional social workers in nursing homes.
• Analysis of practice circumstances, prior education, and current training requirements.
• Focus on identifying gaps in specialized geriatric knowledge and skills.

Main Results:

• A significant portion of social workers lack in-depth knowledge and specialized skills for elder care.
• Formal education often does not cover the complexities of working with the aged and their families.
• Identified a clear need for targeted educational and training initiatives.

Conclusions:

• Current social work curricula require enhancement to include specialized geriatric content.
• Targeted training programs are essential to equip social workers for the demands of nursing home practice.
• Addressing these training needs will improve the quality of psychosocial care for the elderly.