Social Work Response to the White House Conference on Aging

Book excerpt: This volume is a testimony to the continued interest of the social work profession in broad areas affecting older persons and the profession's commitment to understanding the critical issues and actions needed to optimize the well-being of older Americans. Social Work Response to the White House Conference on Aging highlights key resolutions made at the White House Conference on Aging (WHCOA) to provide a blueprint or model for revising and developing programs and policies that benefit the aging population. As the authors explore the relation of social work practice to the WHCOA resolutions, they seek to eradicate myths about aging and to establish concrete ways for maximizing the quality of life for elders through independence, work, and productive living. Late life is a time when one's sense of importance, self-esteem, and independence is jeopardized. Social Work Response to the White House Conference on Aging offers unique insight on how autonomy and beneficence can be restored to elderly persons through their participation in the home, the workplace, the community, and larger society. Unabashedly, this book discusses ageism, barriers to health and mental health services for the elderly, premature nursing home placement, employment discrimination, and family-unfriendly policies. It also discusses: the societal benefits of having a large national resource of productive older adults grandparents raising grandchildren unmet mental health needs among older persons residential patterns the demographic demands of a rapidly growing elderly and disabled population social and moral links among generations balancing mutual aid and independence tactics and techniques of coalition building on the local and state levels crime, prevention, and elder abuse The 1995 White House Conference on Aging made an urgent call for action. In the wake of that call, this book shows social work educators, practitioners, and academics how they can use the WHCOA resolutions to advocate on behalf of elderly persons and get them the policies, programs, assistance, and services they need to enjoy active, full lives.