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Ripples

The e-Newsletter of the Geriatric Social Work Initiative (GSWI)
Volume 6, Issue 5
May 1 , 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 Joe Hayes at jhayes@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 Stacey Kolomer, Hartford Faculty Scholar Cohort VI, for receiving tenure at the University of Georgia!

Congratulations to Angela Curl, Hartford Doctoral Fellow Cohort IV, for procuring a faculty position at the University of Missouri-Columbia in the School of Social Work!

Congratulations to Dr. Namkee Choi, National Program Committee member for the Hartford Faculty Scholars and Doctoral Fellows Programs, who has been selected by the University of Texas at Austin as this year's recipient of the Joe and Bettie Branson Ward Excellence Award for Research, Teaching, and Demonstration Activities!

Don’t forget to buy your Hartford Geriatric Social Work Initiative stamps before the price of stamps increases!  $9 for ½ a sheet of 10 and $18 for a full sheet of 20. Email Ashley Groth (agroth@geron.org) and indicate “HGSWI stamps” in the subject line to place an order.

Large Response for MAC Project and Gero-Ed Track
The submission rates for both the MAC Project Gero Innovations Grant and CSWE APM Gero-Ed Track were very strong.  This high response rate indicates that more and more social work faculty are recognizing the importance of gerontology.  The Gero Innovations Grant, which will fund up to 20 selected MSW programs, received 50 proposals.  These proposals are currently under review and programs will be announced in June on the Gero-Ed Center Web site: www.gero-edcenter.org/mac.  Of the 1339 proposals submitted to the CSWE Annual Program Meeting, 112 were for the Gero-Ed Track.  Provisional notifications will be sent to accepted presenters in late June.  This year’s APM will be in San Francisco, October 27-30; for more information, please visit www.cswe.org/apm.

May is Older Americans Month!
The theme for Older Americans Month this year is "Older Americans: Making Choices for a Healthier Future". For information and resources, Click Here.

AGHE call for sessions abstract submission open
The Call for Sessions abstract submission period for the 2008 conference is now open.  The abstract submission deadline is June 1, 2007.  To submit your abstract online, go to www.aghe.org, and click on the “2008 Call for Sessions” box on the right side of the page. 

AGHE accepting applications for Fall 2007 internship
AGHE is now accepting applications for a Fall 2007 internship in its Washington, DC, office. The internship is a full-time position from September through December, but exact start and end dates are flexible. A stipend is provided. An interest in gerontology, higher education, and non-profit or business management is desirable. Graduate students or recent undergrads are particularly encouraged to apply. AGHE's intern will have the opportunity to: (1) run special projects (e.g., survey administration, publications) tailored to his or her personal interests; (2) attend public policy meetings in Washington, DC; and (3) meet and correspond with leaders in the field of gerontological education. In addition, the intern will assist with the preparations for (and will attend) The Gerontological Society of America’s 60th Annual Scientific Meeting in San Francisco, CA, November 16–20, 2007. Please note that this is NOT a direct service position. Interns will have no direct contact with elders.

To apply, fax or e-mail a resume and cover letter (attention Tony DiLorenzo, Deputy Director) to (202) 289-9824 or adilorenzo@aghe.org. Or mail to: AGHE Internship Application, 1030 15th Street NW, Suite 240, Washington, DC 20005-1503.  The deadline for applications is May 31st, 2007.

Geriatric Mental Health Alliance First Annual Conference
The Geriatric Mental Health Alliance will hold its first annual conference, “Geriatric Mental Health: Challenges and Opportunities Across the Horizon”, on May 31 from 9 am to 4 pm at the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York. Keynote speaker is Dr. Steve Bartels, a professor at Dartmouth Medical School and an eminent researcher in geriatric mental health.  He will be presenting on implementing evidence-based practices to address mental health needs of older adults. The conference will also include a panel discussion on models for integrating health and mental health services, a presentation by NYS Office for the Aging Director Michael Burgess and various workshops. Click Here for more information and to register.

Saint Paul Senior Workers Association Spring Conference
The Saint Paul Senior Workers Association is holding its Spring Conference on Sexuality and Aging on Wednesday, May 9, 2007 from 7:45 am to 11:45 am at the Radisson Hotel of Roseville in Roseville, MN. The first session will explore ageism and identification of abuses later in life, while the second session will evaluate sexuality and aging among women and men. Please Click Here for additional information and to register.

Mit Joyner Gerontology Leadership Award call for nominations
This award was created by the Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors (BPD) Gerontology Committee and the Association for Gerontology Education in Social Work (AGE-SW). Social work educators or field instructors who work closely with BSW students or undergraduate social work students are eligible for nominations.  Nominated individuals are not required to be members of BPD or AGE-SW; however, one of the nominators must be a member of either BPD or AGE-SW. Nominations must include a nomination form, two letters of recommendation and a curriculum vitae (max. of 2 pages). Deadline for nominations is October 15, 2007. Click Here for more information and a nomination form. You may also visit http://www.agesocialwork.org/ or http://www.bpdonline.org/ for additional information on the award, or contact Harriet Cohen at h.cohen@tcu.edu.

24th annual University of Kentucky Summer Series on Aging
The Summer Series on Aging will be held June 25-27, 2007 at the Marriott Griffin Gate Resort in Lexington, KY. Presentations on issues facing an aging America will take place at the conference. The Summer Series on Aging provides a forum for professionals to share information in geriatrics and gerontology from various disciplines. Early registration deadline is June 1, 2007.  For additional information and a registration form, Click Here.

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.

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.

Diversity and Aging in the 21st Century Conference
AARP is hosting the Diversity and Aging in the 21st Century Conference June 19-21, 2007 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles, CA. The conference fee of $250 will be waived for college students. The conference will provide “on the ground” experiences with companies and speakers, numerous networking opportunities with a diverse audience, an off-site visit to the Irvine, CA, winner of the Accessible America Award and in-depth discussions on preparing for a growing aging population. For more information, visit the conference website, www.aarp.org/diversityandaging. To receive complimentary registration, register at http://wynjade.com/aarpdiversity07/comp/login.cfm. The username is DIVERSITY and the password is AGING, in caps. If you have questions, please contact Carmelita Tursi at 202-434-2803 (ctursi@aarp.org) or Todd Chester at 202-434-6809 (tchester@aarp.org).

Research & News

Study released on nursing home choices
A study was released in December 2006 by Lisa R. Shugarman and Julie A. Brown called “Nursing Home Selection: How do Consumers Choose? Volume I: Findings from Focus Groups of Consumers and Information Intermediaries.” The study was commissioned by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Department of Health and Human Services. Making decisions about nursing homes, whether it is the need to enter a home or the need to choose a home, is becoming more common as the aging population continues to boom. The purpose of this study was to review Internet-based resources for nursing home decisions and selections, examine how consumers select a nursing home, look at the presence of existing information resources and their use in the decision-making process, and finally, to identify gaps in needed information resources.  To access full study, Click Here.

Health care among older women
The National Center for Health Statistics has released a report by Kristen Robinson, PhD, titled, “Trends in Health Status and Health Care Use Among Older Women” that explores the differences between older men and women so that the needs of older women may be more readily addressed. Healthy lifestyles enable older individuals to remain independent and lead a better quality lifestyle. Older women, though, live longer and experience different chronic conditions and functional limitations than men. Understanding these differences is important to promote healthy aging for older women.  To access the full report, Click Here.

Funding Opportunities

Grants available to support the development of geriatric education centers
The Health Resources and Services Administration is offering grants to support the development of geriatric education centers.  This involves carrying out certain requirements including the following: improving, providing and supporting training and continuing education; developing and distributing curricula. Training must involve four or more health profession disciplines, one of which must be allopathic or osteopathic. Application deadline is May 14, 2007. The estimated project period is three years, and the approximate number of grants to be awarded is 50. Click Here for more information.

Fred H. Bixby Fellowship Program, 2007-08: Population Aging
The Population Reference Bureau is calling for applications for its Fred H. Bixby Fellowship Program for 2007-08. The program will support a mid-career individual with innovative ideas and the capacity to help shape policy and public debate on issues related to global population aging. The fellowship is for individuals with a graduate degree (preferably a Ph.D.) and at least five years of professional experience. The recipient will spend approximately 60 percent of his/her time working on a research project of individual interest, ideally one that is relevant to current aging-related policy issues. The remaining time will be spent giving lectures or seminars, writing articles for PRB's website, and collaborating with PRB staff in the development of new PRB (or joint) aging-related projects and proposals. Fellowships are for full-time work and are awarded for six months or longer. Interested individuals should submit an electronic copy of a letter of intent (describing the applicant's background and benefits of being at PRB), a CV, and a one-page project description via email to William Butz at wbutz@prb.org. Please include "Bixby Aging Fellowship" in the subject line of the email. The fellowship start date is flexible and could begin as early as July 2007. Application deadline is May 15, 2007.

Resources

Toolkit now available on creating a sustainable future for all individuals
The Blue moon fund in Charlottesville, VA, has released a comprehensive, user-friendly resource that turns the challenges of an aging population into opportunities for all ages to thrive. "Sustainable Communities for All Ages: A Viable Futures Toolkit" offers guidance to planners, policymakers, service providers, funders, and families about how to craft solutions for older generations that simultaneously address needs of younger generations and their communities.  Click Here to access toolkit.

Attention Researchers: 2004 Workforce Study Dataset Available
Data from the 2004 NASW National Study of Licensed Social Workers are now available for secondary analyses. Data are provided on a CD ROM in SPSS format, accompanied by a code book. Request access to the dataset by completing and submitting the Application for Data Access—Click Here.

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