Building Geriatric Competencies : Critical Skills Needed to Serve Older Adults in All Settings

1. Building Geriatric Competencies : Critical Skills Needed to Serve Older Adults in All Settings Hanna Thurman WV Bureau of Senior Services hanna.e.thurman@wv.gov Kristina Hash Division of Social Work kmhash@mail.wvu.edu

2. Description: This workshop will discuss the critical issues facing older adults and their families and introduce a set of geriatric competencies for use in traditional aging and other agency settings. Participants will be asked to assess the usefulness of the competencies for their practice as well as identify unique competencies for working with older adults and their families in small towns and rural areas. Ideas for implementing competencies into student learning contracts will also be discussed.

3. Upon completion of this workshop, participants will be able to: 1. Discuss critical issues facing older adults and their families in WV and surrounding areas 2. Identify a set of competencies for working with older adults and their families 3. Assess the usefulness of the competencies for their own practice 4. Identify unique competencies for working with older adults and their families in small towns and rural areas • Implement competencies into student learning contracts • Note: This workshop is intended for professionals and students who work and intern in a variety of settings, not just those focused on geriatrics

4. Agenda • Introductions • Aging in WV and Surrounding Areas • The Crisis and Call to Action • Introduction to Geriatric Competencies • Resources for Training • Aging is Just a Number

5. Introductions

6. Aging in WV and Surrounding Areas

7. WV is Aging- Test your knowledge • In 2009, what % of West Virginians were 65+? • West Virginia is ranked ? in the nation in having the highest percentage of total population age 65 years or older • What are the unique problems faced by older adults in WV and surrounding areas?

8. WV is Aging- Test your knowledge • Student exposure to gerontological content in their BSW and foundation MSW coursework is: Minimal, Moderate, Significant? • Student exposure to older adults in their BSW and MSW field placements is: Minimal, Moderate, Significant? • Student exposure to gerontological content in other programs? Minimal, Moderate, Significant?

9. WV is Aging- Test your knowledge • Are most BSW and MSW graduates competent/prepared to work with older adults? • Are most graduates of other health professions competent/prepared to work with older adults?

10. WV is Aging- Test your knowledge Are you scared yet?

11. The Crisis and Call to Action

12. “Health Care Work Force Too Small, Unprepared For Aging Baby Boomers; Higher Pay, More Training, And Changes In Care Delivery Needed To Avert Crisis” -04/08, Institute of Medicine

13. Now, are you terrified? • What can we do…?

14. “The report, Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce, calls for bold initiatives starting immediately to train all health care providers in the basics of geriatric care and to prepare family members and other informal caregivers, who currently receive little or no training in how to tend to their aging loved ones. Medicare, Medicaid, and other health plans should pay higher rates to boost recruitment and retention of geriatric specialists and care aides, said the committee that wrote the report.” -04/08, Institute of Medicine

15. Introduction to Geriatric Competencies

16. Question • What is professional competence?

17. Competency-based SW Education • According to the Council on Social Work Education’s 2008 EPAS, competency-based education is an outcome performance approach to curriculum design. • Competencies are measurable practice behaviors—what all graduates are able to do—that are comprised of social work knowledge, skills, and values learned in foundation class and field curriculum.

18. Geriatric SW Competence • Social Work Competence: the achievement and demonstration of core knowledge, values and skills in social work practice (Vass, 1996) • Geriatric Social Work Competence: Establishing geriatric competencies could shape curricular, field training, and continuing education programs that effectively prepare practitioners to address the needs of older adults and their families (JCAHO, 2001).

19. GeriatricSocial Work Competencies I. Values, Ethics, and Theoretical Perspectives II. Assessment III. Intervention IV. Aging Services, Programs and Policies V. Leadership

20. In Small Groups… • Review the Geriatric Social Work Competencies • Identify 1-2 competencies from each of the 5 areas that should be expected of all social work graduates and related professionals • Brainstorm unique issues and competencies for working with older adults in small towns and rural areas • Identify competencies that you would like to increase (rate yourself!) and identify ways to build competency

21. Training Opportunities • Summer Institute on Aging http://www.wvsioa.org • Social Work Leadership Institute http://socialwork.nyam.org/nsw/index.php • National Center for Gerontological Social Work Education (National Gero-Ed Center) http://depts.washington.edu/geroctr • National Association for Social Workers (NASW) --Aging http://www.naswdc.org/aging.asp

22. Training Opportunities • Institute for Geriatric Social Work http://www.bu.edu/igsw/ • WV Geriatric Education Center http://www.hsc.wvu.edu/charleston/WVGEC/ • Others?

23. Some Things that We Are Doing • Opportunities in Aging (handout)

24. Are you less scared now that you know that there is something we all can do? • And now, to add to our happy ending….

25. Seniors of the World • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjjVFLFIOP0