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Alberto Martinez, MSW '20, talks about his work with Sage Metro Detroit developing training materials to help support LGBT+ Older Adults.

Social Work Practice with Older Adults & Families from a Lifespan Perspective

The Social Work Practice with Older Adults and Families from a Lifespan Perspective pathway prepares interprofessional practice students to work with older adults and families to develop skills in using evidence-based interventions and to understand the psychosocial development across the lifespan. This pathway focuses on developing skills to assess and intervene to address social, structural, cultural, behavioral and other factors which impact the health and well-being of older adults.

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Careers

Examples of career (job) titles and positions relevant to this pathway include but are not limited to:

  • Adult Protective Services Worker
  • Case Manager
  • Community Outreach Coordinator
  • Coordinator of Care (nursing home, long-term care, rehab care and dementia care units)
  • Family Support Coordinator
  • Hospice Care Social Worker
  • Palliative Care Social Worker
  • Policy Advisor
  • Policy Advocate
  • Program Planner

Field Experience

Types of agencies and settings where students in this pathway may engage in field learning:

  • Hospitals
  • Hospice Centers
  • Senior Centers
  • Dementia Care
  • Skilled Nursing Facilities
  • Senior Living Communities
  • Community Based Support Programs
  • Government Agencies
  • Outpatient Health Clinics
  • Substance Abuse Clinics

Program Details

Pathway Faculty

  • Alethia J. Battles

    Alethia J. Battles

    LEO Adjunct Lecturer & UMH Probate and Judicial Liaison
  • Amy C. Burandt

    Amy C. Burandt

    Field Faculty and LEO Lecturer III
  • Linda M. Chatters

    Linda M. Chatters

    Paula Allen-Meares Collegiate Professor of Social Work, School of Social Work, Professor of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, and Faculty Associate, Research Center for Group Dynamics, ISR
    Religious involvement and well-being, social support networks of adult/elderly African Americans, intergenerational family relations, families and health.

Student Profiles

Student Profile
Leah Fein

  • Scholarship:
    Dean’s Scholarship

When Leah Fein was a child, she lived with her grandmother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and her great uncle, diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Leah remembers, “They helped me understand the impact of support and autonomy on quality of life for older adults.” In high school, Leah volunteered with older adults at a hospital in Philadelphia and in college, interned with a nursing home transition program. After earning her BSW with a focus on ageing at the University of Pittsburgh, she worked for two years with low-income older adults, arranging in-home services, medical care and hospital and nursing facility discharges.

“I saw the difference it made if someone could age at home rather than in a facility,” Leah says. “I loved the direct practice experience, and I developed reciprocal relationships with my participants, which improved my own knowledge.” Leah wanted to go for her master’s in social work and in public health. “I wanted to be involved in an interdisciplinary team focused on advocating for adults’ self-determination and autonomy towards end of life, while also supporting disease management at home. It’s about your ability to maintain control and maintain a sense of purpose throughout life transitions. Often we take all that away from older adults unnecessarily.”

Leah was able to come to the University of Michigan thanks to a Dean’s Scholarship. “Those donors are the reason I am here at U-M,” Leah declares. “They have empowered me to reach my goals. I knew Michigan Social Work could challenge me and give me opportunities to make a real impact on issues I care about, but without my scholarship I would not have been able to come here. I remember the moment I got the email. I was with a participant. I told him, and he was so happy for me!”

Soon after arriving at our School, Leah had a revelation. “I thought I might focus on macro social work,” she says, “but I missed direct practice. So, I sent out some emails and connected with an older adult in a local nursing facility who needed help with discharge planning, so I have been working with him. It was nice to find out so fast that I needed to maintain my practice. This is one of many reasons Michigan is a great school. There are so many opportunities here! Every experience has added more and more to the person I am. And with this degree I can finally make the difference I want to make. I hope one day I can give back to other students who need support.”

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