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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Alissa Yarkony, MPH, PT¹, Sarah Sisco, MPH, MSW², Jeannine Melly³, Peri Rosenfeld, PhD³, Ruth Finkelstein, ScD³, and Patricia Volland, MSW, MBA¹. (1) Social Work Leadership Institute, New York Academy of Medicine, 1216 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10029, 212-419-3591, ayarkony@nyam.org, (2) Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies, New York Academy of Medicine, 1216 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10029, (3) Division of Health Policy/Center for Aging Policy, The New York Academy of Medicine, 1216 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10029-5202

Older adults are highly diverse, and increasing longevity affects health care delivery, coverage, and management. Chronic conditions and health disparities persist, coupled with a growing expectation of family to care for elders, making it increasingly difficult for our workforce to meet demands. While social workers have long-navigated care for diverse populations, only 23% of master's level students select aging as a field of practice. Nearly 70,000 elder-savvy social workers will be needed by 2030, a 43% increase over the current labor force.

The Social Work Leadership Institute at The New York Academy of Medicine recognizes the need for innovative education and policy initiatives to help circumvent a potential labor force crisis. The Practicum Partnership Program (PPP), funded by the Hartford Foundation, is a field education model to increase the number of aging-savvy social workers, and improve integration between classroom and field education. This eight-year initiative will fund 60 MSW programs, achieving a critical mass. The Center for Aging Policy (CAP), funded by Atlantic Philanthropies, was established to enhance the lives of older adults by addressing multi-disciplinary care coordination at the policy level. Activities that highlight the work of CAP include building evidence-based research and policy clearinghouses for promoting the role of geriatric social work in care coordination, and a targeted advocacy campaign.

Public health and social service infrastructures must intersect to meet challenges of an aging society, where access to appropriate care and treatment is the norm. Challenges and implications of navigating education and policy arenas will be discussed.

Learning Objectives:

• 1)Articulate the issues surrounding shortages in the elder-care workforce, with a special emphasis on the role of social workers.
• 2)Discuss two initiatives at the New York Academy of Medicine to engage a) social workers at the education level, and b) to support care coordination across disciplines at the policy level.
• 3)Explain links between education and policy that affect future health care as a right for older Americans, and future implications beyond these initiatives.

Keywords: Aging, Education

Related Web page: www.socialworkleadership.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation