Advanced Topics in Social Work Practice with Older Adults and Families from a Lifespan Perspective

Topic Description: Advances in medicine and public health have resulted in greater life expectancies such that by the year 2034, older adults age of 65 and over are projected to outnumber children under age 18 for the first time in U.S. history. However, several subpopulations of older adults have poorer health status and markedly reduced quality and length of life due to deep inequities across many social determinants of health such as health care access and quality, housing, economic stability, social supports, community resources and safety, and limitations in the built environmental. Additional factors such as social isolation, loneliness, access to mental health care, early adverse exposures, mobility, and rural geography also shape which older adults have opportunities to attain their full health potential and to age well. This course will help students in social work and other allied health professions define health equity in current and historical context; and use it as a lens to interrogate many dynamic, multi-dimensional and interrelated factors that result in a disproportionate prevalence of chronic disease, dementia, and functional limitations among those with lower socioeconomic status, from certain racial and ethnic groups, from rural areas, and who are defined by gender and sex differences. A major emphasis is on identifying which skills and multi-level strategies can inform equitable, sustainable, and community-driven change.

Objectives: After completing this course, students should be able to:

1. Define and differentiate "health equity" from health differences and health disparities and provide relevant examples of each.
2. Identify and understand environmental, social , cultural, behavioral, biological, and structural health system factors that create and sustain health disparities among older adults
3. Develop realistic and actionable strategies informed by social work and public health to promote active life expectancy and improve the health status of diverse populations of older adults
4. Utilize more effective language, communication and partnership strategies to advocate for justice in aging, including shifting power to communities.