The Geriatric Social Work Leadership Internship
A Bold New Model for Geriatric Social work Field Training
A
program of the Institute for the Advancement of Geriatric
Social Work Practice, VNA Foundation Funded by The John A.
Hartford Foundation, Inc. The Archstone Foundation
What
is The Geriatric Social Work Leadership Internship?
Through
a groundbreaking new field training model, the Institute aims
to advance preparation of geriatric social workers in order
to strengthen the quality of care to a burgeoning older population.
This
bold new consortium among thirteen aging organizations and
four graduate schools of social work offers an integrated
field curriculum and training experience in the full continuum
of geriatric care.
What
Does the Internship Offer?
- Integrated
academic and field education in geriatric social work
- Networking
with other Geriatric Social Work Leadership interns from
four universities and premier aging organizations
- Experience
with the aging network and resources across the continuum
of care
- Competency-based
training with certificate upon program completion
- Employment
listings and preferential status as a job applicant at Centers
of Excellence
- Sizable
stipends will be awarded
How
Does the Internship Work?
- Up
to eight students are selected from each of the four universities
- Orientation
to the full continuum is provided
- Primary
field placement customized to student geriatric practice
interests
- Secondary
case-based experience with continuum of services
- Quarterly
group seminars with presentations by academic experts, field
instructors, and students
Where
Are The Placements?
As
the premier service providers to the elderly of the greater
Los Angeles area, these field work Centers
of Excellence offer care across the continuum
to diverse communities:
Center
for Healthy Aging
http://home.earthlink.net/~monikawhite/
- Private,
non-profit community-based agency
- Peer
counseling and professional mental health services
- Health
screening, promotion, treatment, and education
- Outreach
to low-income and minority seniors
- Support
services including friendly visitors and medication management
- Daily
money management and education
Huntington
Senior Care Network
http://huntingtonhospital.com/body.cfm?id=3746
- Community-based
department within private, nonprofit hospital
- Care
coordination for frail older adults and their families
- Geriatric
health care
- Residential
community care
- Health
promotion/education for well elderly
Jewish
Family Service of Los Angeles
http://jfsla.org/senior_resources.htm
- Private,
non-profit, non-sectarian community based agency
- Counseling
for older adults and their families
- Care
management and support groups
- Protective
services
- Adult
day health care centers
- Café
Europa for Holocaust survivors
VA
Greater LA Healthcare System, Geriatric Research, Education,
and Clinical Center
http://vhawlaweb1/grecc/
- Federally
based, university affiliated health care system for veterans
- Comprehensive
geriatric fellowship and allied health programs
- Geriatric
and long-term care services
- Development
and evaluation of model continuum geriatric programs
- Interdisciplinary
team training model
- Clinical
and health services research
Associate
Sites, which will provide added diversity to
the continuum, include:
- AltaMed Delta Senior Services
- Pilgrim Tower LivHom
- WISE Senior Services
- Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
- Los Angles County AAA IMPACT
- Elderly Services Corp. for Asian Pacific Americans
Why
Work With Older Adults?
As
a society, we will be facing new challenges and opportunities
in the coming years:
- Employment
opportunities. More social workers are needed.
By 2020 when the baby boomers turn 65, up to 70,000
social workers will be needed to serve older people and
their families.
- The
baby boomers are rapidly aging.
In the next 40 years, people age 65 will account for a quarter
of our nation's population.
- Families
will need help.
Eighty percent of care for the elderly comes from family
and friends rather than formal services.
- More
elderly will be at risk for disability and institutionalization. The fastest growing segment of our population is the
"oldest-old," people 85 years and older
- Older
people will be more diverse than previous generation.
Latino, Asian American/Pacific Islander, Native American,
and African American groups are growing at a faster rate
compared to European American elderly.
What
Other Graduates Have To Say About Working With Older Adults
Your
life will be enriched in countless ways.
- "Working
with the elderly is a breath of fresh air."
- "The
relationship is a privilege."
- "Their
families are involved."
- "Their
hardiness has enriched me."
- Their
eyes light up: "You didn't forget me."
- "Finding
new life in the face of diversity.."
What
Types of People Are Needed?
- Caring
people with a genuine interest in serving older adults and
families
- People
with the capacity to master complex competencies needed
to assess and intervene with adults and families in late
life
- People
from diverse racial and ethnic groups to match the changing
demographics of an aging California
How
Do I Find Out More?
Geriatric
Social Work Leadership Internship
W.
June Simmons, LCSW, VNA Foundation
Principal Investigator
Phone: (818) 526-1780
jsimmons@vnafound.org
JoAnn Damron-Rodriguez, PhD
Co-Principal Investigator
Phone: (310) 268-4670
joann.damron-rodriguez@med.va.gov
Brooke Funderburk, MSW
Project Coordinator, Phone: (310) 268-3749 brookefund@med.va.gov
California
State University, Long Beach, Department of Social Work
Phone:
(562) 985-2269
http://www.csulb.edu/depts/socialwk/
California
State University, Los Angeles, Department of Social Work
Phone:
(323) 343-5705
http://www.calstatela.edu/dept/soc_work/index.htm
University
of California, Los Angeles, School of Public Policy and Social
Research, Department of Social Welfare
Phone:
(310) 825-2892
http://www.sppsr.ucla.edu/acad/sw/msw_prog.htm
University
of Southern California, School of Social Work
Phone:
(213) 740-2013/0294
http://www.usc.edu/dept/socialwork/programs/index.html
Institute
Membership
Principal
Investigator W. June Simmons, LCSW
VNA
Foundation
Co-principal
Investigator: JoAnn Damron-Rodriguez, PhD,
LCSW
VA
Greater LA Healthcare System, Geriatric Resource, Education,
and Clinical Center
Marrie
Torres, PhD
AltaMed
Health Services Corp.
Julie
Steres, MA, MFT, & Monika White, MSW, PhD
Center
for Healthy Aging
Judith
Morrison, BA
Delta
Senior Services
Debbie
Ching, MPA
Elderly
Services Corp. for Asian Pacific Americans
Gretchen
Brickson, MBA, LCSW, Chris Garcia, LCSW, & Sue Shearer,
LCSW
Huntington
Memorial Hospital, Senior Care Network
Susie
Forer-Dehrey, LCSW & Sandra King, MSW, LCSW
Jewish
Family Service
Eleanor
Spaziano, MSW & Tony Winckowski, DSW
VA
Greater LA Healthcare System, Geriatric Resource, Education,
and Clinical Center
Joanne
Altschuler, PhD, LCSW, E. Frederick Anderson, PhD, LCSW, James
Kelly, PhD, LCSW, & Ginger Wilson, LCSW
California
State University, Los Angeles
Barbara
Cohen, LCSW, Tom Crowe, LCSW, Catherine Goodman, DSW, John
Oliver, PhD, & Marilyn Potts, PhD
California
State University, Long Beach
Ted
Benjamin, PhD, Pam Davis, LCSW, James Lubben, DSW, MPH, &
Rachelle Zuckerman, PhD
University
of California, Los Angeles
Maria
Aranda, PhD, Judy Axonwitz, MSW, & Marilyn Flynn, MSW,
PhD, & Micki Gress, PhD, LCSW
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