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Ripples

The e-Newsletter of the Geriatric Social Work Initiative (GSWI)
Volume 6, Issue 4
April 3 , 2007

Welcome to Ripples, an e-newsletter designed to keep interested deans and directors, faculty members, students, practitioners and others informed about the work of the Geriatric Social Work Initiative (GSWI).  We welcome your feedback and encourage you to contribute any story ideas, stories, resources, news and other content to subsequent issues of the newsletter. To make a contribution, please contact Ashley Groth at agroth@geron.org.  If you have been forwarded this newsletter by a colleague and would like to subscribe, please reply to this e-mail and type the word “subscribe” in the subject line. Please be sure to visit our website at www.gswi.org.

In this Issue:
1. Announcements
2. Research & News
3. Funding Opportunities
4. Resources

Announcements

Congratulations to the following Hartford Doctoral Fellows for procuring faculty positions!
Karra Bikson (Cohort IV)- New York University
Robin Bonifas (Cohort V)- Arizona State University
Duy Nguyen (Cohort VI)- New York University
Amanda Toler (Cohort V)- Michigan State University

Hartford Predissertation Award Applications Due May 1, 2007
Awardees will receive travel expenses and registration to attend national professional meetings, membership to various professional organizations and networking opportunities with other Hartford Doctoral Fellows and Scholars. The program is intended to expose more students to gerontological social work research, expand the number of social work doctoral dissertations that identify and examine a set of research questions seeking to improve the health and well-being of older persons and their families, and enhance the likelihood of writing a successful grant application to the Hartford Doctoral Fellows Program. Jim Lubben at Boston College (lubben@bc.edu) and Carmen Morano at Hunter College (cmorano@hunter.cuny.edu) are Program Directors.

SSWR call for papers
The 12th Annual Conference of the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR), “Research That Matters”, will take place January 17-20, 2008 in Washington, DC. The abstract submission deadline for oral paper presentations, poster presentations and symposia is Monday, April 30, 2007.  For more information, Click Here.

Deadline for Anita Rosen Gerontology Award for Outstanding Student Poster approaching
The deadline for the 2nd Annual Anita Rosen Gerontology Award for Outstanding Student Poster is fast approaching--April 27, 2007.  This award for outstanding gero student posters also comes with a cash prize of $1000.  Social work students at each level (BSW, MSW, and PhD) are strongly encouraged to participate.  This is an excellent opportunity to share your research and participate in the Gero-Ed Track at the Council on Social Work Education's Annual Program Meeting (APM), which will be held from October 27-30, 2007 in San Francisco, CA. 
For more information contact: gero-edcenter@cswe.org.  To submit your poster abstract, visit: www.cswe.org/apm.
Careers in Aging Week
The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) and the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE) will be celebrating the 6th Annual Careers in Aging Week, which will take place April 8-14, 2007.  For more information or to request materials, Click Here.

April 27 deadline for Gero-Ed Track at CSWE Annual Program Meeting in October 2007
The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Gero-Ed Center is pleased to announce the new Gero-Ed Track at the 2007 CSWE Annual Program Meeting (APM) to be held in San Francisco, October 27-30, 2007.  Please submit your gerontology, aging and/or intergenerational-related abstract to the APM Gero-Ed Track at http://www.cswe.org/apm by April 27, 2007. 

Please visit the Gero-Ed Center Web site (www.Gero-EdCenter.org) for additional information on the Gero-Ed Track and our other projects. Also, watch for CSWE Gero-Ed Center sponsored events in San Francisco!

Nomination deadlines for AGE-SW awards
Each year AGE-SW recognizes outstanding contributions to the field of social work and aging and celebrates achievements of its members at the AGE - SW Awards ceremony. The AGE-SW Board of Directors has established the following award categories.

Career Achievement Award
The Career Achievement Award is awarded to a faculty member who has been an outstanding leader in social work education and aging. This person will have significant career achievements in this area including major research and publications, prominence in promoting education in gerontology, and mentoring of faculty and students interested in aging.

Leadership Award
The Leadership Award is awarded to a faculty member who has made significant contributions in aging research, teaching and scholarship. Indicators of a faculty member's contribution to the field of aging include publications, the conduct of grant-funded research, presentations at major conferences, and teaching aging content in the curriculum, as well as serving as field liaison for students who have practicum assignments with older clients.

Faculty Achievement Award
The Faculty Achievement Award is awarded to a faculty member who is in the early stages of career development, and will be based on the individual's contributions and potential in this area. Indicators will include development of a line of research and scholarship in aging, a beginning presence (presentations, committee participation) in local, state, or national organizations focused on aging issues, and teaching age-related content in his/her program.

Nominations for these award categories can come from any member of AGE-SW, and self-nominations are acceptable. Both the person who is nominating and the nominee must be members of AGE-SW; however, enrolling for membership at the time of nomination is acceptable.

Deadline for Nomination Letters is May 15, 2007
Electronically Submit Nomination Letters to:
Tracy Schroepfer, Ph.D.
University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Social Work
tschroepfer@wisc.edu
The awards will be presented at the reception during the AGE-SW membership meeting at the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Annual Program Meeting in San Francisco, October 2007.

Deadline extended to April 11 for the 4th annual research training in aging and social work
The Research Training will be held at The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota July 15-22, 2007. Two follow-up meetings will occur in Feb. 2008 and in the summer of 2008. Co-directed by Barbara Berkman of Columbia University and Chandra Mehrotra of The College of St. Scholastica, this research training is intended for social work faculty who have received a doctoral degree at least three years ago in any area of social work. The program will strengthen participants’ knowledge and skills for developing an active research agenda and integrating scholarship with teaching. Food, lodging and travel support will be provided for the 15 applicants chosen to participate.  Application deadline is April 11, 2007.  For additional information, Click Here. For more details and for application materials, please contact Chandra M. Mehrotra, Co-Director, Research Training Program, The College of St. Scholastica, 1200 Kenwood Avenue, Duluth, MN 55811. E-mail: cmehrotr@css.edu.

2008 BPD Annual Conference call for proposals
The Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors, Inc. (BPD) will hold it’s 25th Annual Conference titled “Twenty-five years of BPD: Honoring our past, celebrating our present, affirming our future” in Destin, Florida from March 5-9, 2008. Deadlines for calls for award nominations, posters and lectures may be found on the BPD website, http://www.bpdonline.org/. The deadline for call for proposal submissions is June 15, 2007.

Research & News

Job changes and older adults
An article by Richard W. Johnson and Janette Kawachi, both of the Urban Institute, explores the quantity and quality of jobs available to older adults.  Data from the Health and Retirement Study is used to evaluate characteristics of older adults who change jobs later in life (after retirement, for example). Most who switched employers at older ages moved to occupations and industries very different from their previous, long-term jobs. Many were more likely self-employed, working part-time and with flexible hours. Less stress, physical demands and managerial responsibilities largely characterized the types of occupations after the switch was made. Most enjoyed the new jobs more, despite the wage reductions and fewer benefits.  To access full article, Click Here.

More demands on society as baby boomers age: Policy implications
Research conducted by the nonprofit National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and supported by the National Institute on Aging compares the overall, self-reported health of people in three birth-year groups. Data from the Health Retirement Study was used in this analysis. The study illustrates that individuals in the younger birth-year groups reported poorer overall health and more pain associated with daily tasks. Are people reaching retirement in poorer shape than their predecessors? The potential policy implications are increased health care costs and housing issues that will be placed in higher demand once the baby boomer generation begins to retire. To access full article, Click Here.

Are people healthy enough to work longer?
Alicia H. Munnell, Director for the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, and Jerilyn Libby, research associate at the Center for Retirement Research, have written a brief regarding the health of older Americans today and the implications that this has upon the workforce.  The main findings state that there was no clear health improvement in workers until the early 1980s; however, workers today are as healthy as workers 40 years ago. The average retirement age has dropped, and because of factors including increased longevity and a decline in Social Security replacement rates, the concern is that there is a potential lack of income for older adults upon retirement.  To access full brief, Click Here.

Lower risk of cardiovascular disease if your parents live longer
Researchers from the Framingham Heart Study have found that people whose parents live longer are more likely to avoid high blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as other risk factors related to cardiovascular disease.  To access full article, Click Here.

Recent trend towards later retirement
This brief, by Leora Friedberg, looks at the gradual trend reversal from earlier retirement among the older population to later retirement. Possible reasons why individuals may be extending retirement are as follows: Changes in Social Security work incentives, higher health costs, greater job flexibility and the end of the defined benefit pension plans.  To access brief, Click Here.

Funding Opportunities

MAC Project Gero Innovations Fund for MSW Programs: Proposals due April 16
The Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Gero Innovations Grant of the new CSWE Gero-Ed Center’s Masters Advanced Curriculum (MAC) Project is now available online.  The Gero Innovations Grant will provide funds for up to 20 selected MSW programs to develop, implement, and evaluate different methods to infuse gerontological competencies into classes and related field opportunities for each of the three advanced MSW specialty areas - mental health, substance abuse and health.  Proposals must be postmarked by April 16, 2007. The required electronic submission must also be received by 5pm EDT on the above due date.  Please visit www.Gero-EdCenter.org/mac/ for more information on the application process and the MAC Project. 

Resources

A Strategy for Assessing Science: Behavioral and Social Research on Aging
Editors Irwin Feller and Paul C. Stern explore how to best assess the progress and vitality of behavioral and social science research on aging and factors contributing to discoveries in areas of the aging field. For more information or to order the book, Click Here.

Housing for the Elderly: Policy and Practice Issues
Philip McCallion, PhD, ACSW, has edited a book published by The Haworth Press regarding the transitions that older individuals face as they move to new locations and into different types of housing in later life. It explores what housing programs can do to help and the role of social workers in older individuals lives so that they remain happy, healthy and productive in later life.  For more information and to order the book, Click Here.

Book on elder advocacy now available
Elder Advocacy: Essential Knowledge and Skills Across Settings is a book that addresses when and how to use various advocacy strategies and practical methods for intervening on behalf of older adults.  For more information and to order the book, Click Here.

Report released on making informed decisions about assisted living facilities
The Environmental Scan of Instruments to Inform Consumer Choice in Assisted Living Facilities is a report available on the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality website intended to help consumers make informed decisions about choosing assisted living facilities. The report looks at surveys, questionnaires and other instruments used to assess the quality of care and services in assisted living facilities. Tools used include observational instruments, consumer-reported instruments and tools that evaluate services, staff, the physical and cultural environments, social support, activities and contractual issues. To access report, Click Here.

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