The transformative potential of social work's evolving practice in dementia care.
Social workers in diverse service systems throughout the United States encounter many opportunities for improving quality of life for people with dementia and their families. Yet practice with this population is unclearly defined and a core set of competencies for such practice does not yet exist. Instead, it is shaped by roles within aging and health systems. These roles are informed by a biomedical disease model of dementia. This article examines social work practice and its connection to evolving views on aging and senility throughout the 20th century. New directions for practice are recommended to improve services for individuals with dementia.
School of Social Work, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA. dbk2006@gmail.com
Daniel B
DB
Kaplan
Troy C
TC
Andersen
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000458:organization & administration*; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D016743:Mental Competency; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D020380:Needs Assessment; D011361:Professional Competence; D058996:Quality Improvement; D012944:Social Support; D012947:Social Work / Q000266:history / Q000379:methods