title: Social Work Gerontological Practice: The Need for Faculty Development in the New Millennium.
abstract: There is a pressing need to upgrade the gerontological knowledge and skills of practicing social workers. Geriatrics and gerontology, as specialized fields of knowledge, have not been sufficiently integrated into formal academic training programs. There are major trends in the health care environment which impact on social work education, including technological advances, a shift from inpatient to outpatient and community care settings, increasing diversity of the older population, and client and family participation in decisionmaking. These trends necessitate social work education to emphasize new content areas in gerontology and the development of new skills in clinical, case management, care coordination, and teamwork. A significant obstacle to the preparation of future social workers to deliver the complex services needed by older adults and their families is a serious shortage of social work faculty in gerontology. Sustained and broad initiatives, such as the John A. Hartford Foundation funded Geriatric Social Work Faculty Scholars Program, are needed to develop academic and practice-based faculty in gerontology. This is crucial if social work is to maintain an important service role in the new millennium.
authors.affiliation: a Columbia University School of Social Work , New York , New York , USA.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Berkman
authors.affiliation: b Lighthouse International , New York , New York , USA.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Silverstone
authors.affiliation: c VNA Foundation , Burbank , California , USA.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: June Simmons
authors.affiliation: d The New York Academy of Medicine , New York , New York , USA.
authors.forename: Patricia J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Volland
authors.affiliation: e Henry L. Schwartz Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development , The Mount Sinai School of Medicine , New York , New York , USA.
authors.forename: Judith L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Howe
mesh_terms: D003479:Curriculum / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D005178:Faculty / Q000193:education / Q000592:standards*; D005853:Geriatrics / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D012947:Social Work / Q000193:education* / Q000379:methods
keywords: Social work education; academic training programs; faculty development