Center for Excellence in Gerontological Social Work: The College at Brockport

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The profession of social work, along with other health-related disciplines, is struggling to provide competently prepared professionals to meet the complex health care needs of older adults and their families. In order to address this shortage, the Center provides training for social work faculty, students, and practicing professionals with a focus on gerontological competencies required for effective and culturally competent client –centered interventions.

Established in 2005 with funding from the Finger Lakes Geriatric Education Center, the Center for Excellence in Gerontologic Social Work at SUNY Brockport builds upon a preexisting model of faculty and student education through training, curricular enrichment, and outreach to social work providers and faculty in the surrounding region. The Center provides a variety of geriatric trainings to faculty, students, and practitioners each year. These geriatric-specific trainings include curriculum development institutes for faculty, community workshops/conferences for students and practicing professionals.

Located in Room 220 at the SUNY Brockport MetroCenter, the Center works with a variety of academic, professional, and community-based organizations to provide gerontological social work education and acts as a resource to facilitate aging-related initiatives and research opportunities. Leadership is provided by Co-Directors Jason Dauenhauer, Ph.D., MSW and Debra Fromm Faria, ACSW, LCSW, faculty members in the Department of Social Work and by Virginia David, LMSW, Project Associate, Professor and Chair of the Department of Social Work at Nazareth College. For more information about upcoming educational events, please contact either Co-Director: jdauenha@brockport.edu or dffaria@brockport.edu

Click on the following links to learn more about the Center

1. SWO 477/577: Perspectives on Older Adults and the Aging Family

Provides an overview of a new advanced gerontological social work elective

2. Recent initiatives:

This section describes grant-funded activities facilitated by the Center's Co-directors

3. Previous activities:

This section describes previous projects facilitated by the Co-directors in partnership with local service providers

4. Publications and presentations

Provides references of recent scholarly publications and presentations by the Co-directors

5. Co-Director Biographies

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SWO 477/577: Perspectives on Older Adults and the Aging Family

Social Work 477/577, a social work elective, is designed to provide students from social work and other health-related backgrounds with an understanding of select issues faced by older adults and their families . By incorporating a service-learning project, the course utilizes a systems theory perspective to provide insight into how individuals and families adapt to aging-related changes and how their experiences are impacted on a micro (individual), mezzo (community), and macro (policy) level. The student learning experience will be enhanced as they collaborate with older adults on a service learning project. Topics to be examined include: family caregiver/care recipient experiences, loss/resiliency, advance directives/end-of-life decision-making, the impact of substance abuse, and elder abuse. Content bridges theory and practice utilizing a case study methodology to reflect practice-based situations encountered by practitioners, older adults and their families. Given the need to prepare professionals to provide culturally competent services, the course emphasizes the impact of diversity throughout all topical areas. Offered every spring semester.

Recent Initiatives:

1) Meaningful Engagement and Healthy Aging: Opportunities & Challenges: Preliminary Conference Agenda

Date: March 31, 2011
Location: Monroe Community Hospital, Rochester, NY
Hosted by: The College at Brockport’s Center for Excellence in Gerontological Social Work, Social Work Departments at the College at Brockport and Nazareth College, Monroe County Office for the Aging, Nazareth College Gerontology Program, State Society on Aging of New York (SSA)
Sponsored by: Finger Lakes Geriatric Education Center of Upstate NY, NASW NYS Chapter and Genesee Valley Division

Click here for: Preliminary Agenda; Conference Registration Form; Student Poster Submission

2) Finger Lakes Geriatric Education Center of Upstate New York

Background: Collaboration with University of Rochester to enhance geriatric edcuation infrastructure for social work students.

Funding:

Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Health Professions
Administered through the University of Rochester (2010-2015)

Goals:

Expand a standardized client simulation pilot program to advance MSW students’ assessment and interviewing skills.
Develop and implement a graduate gerontological social work certificate program.
Enhance clinical social work and teaching functions in the Geriatric Consultation and Assessment Clinic
Develop and disseminate online geriatric social work podcasts as training modules for professionals, students, and faculty.
Develop a service learning elective course designed to train interprofessional students to deliver an evidence-based fall prevention program for older adults.

Previous activities:

1) SUNY Brockport Social Work Hartford Partnership Program in Aging Education (HPPAE)

Background:

Collaboration between the University at Buffalo School of Social Work and SUNY Brockport/Nazareth College GRC MSW Program

Funding:

John A. Hartford Foundation
Administered through the New York Academy of Medicine (2006-2010)

Goal:

Each School receives $75,000 over three years to prepare MSW students using an innovative education model through the provision of competency-based gerontological social work education using a rotational field placement design and partnership with community service providers.

Application Materials for GRCMSW students interested in HPPAE

2) Foundation for Long Term Care Learn and Serve Higher Education Project

Funding:

Corporation for National and Community Service
Administered through the Foundation for Long Term Care; 2006-2009

Background

Each University subcontract grant receives $31,500. over three years to develop, implement, evaluate and disseminate a service learning project engaging baby boomers, older adults and higher education students.

Goal:

SUNY Brockport project will utilize a wellness service learning project in a newly developed Gero social work elective implementation will begin January 2007
Older adults and students will attend class sessions together
Class will be held in a community-based program serving older adults
Older adults and students will develop, implement and evaluate a wellness program together.

3) Teaching Nursing Home Beta-Test Site

Background:

Collaboration between University of Rochester School of Nursing & SUNY Brockport/Nazareth College GRC MSW Program; designed to improve care by translating research into practice

Funding:

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2005-2006

Goal:

To change the culture of nursing homes to make them more like real homes than institutions

4) Updating NASW Policy on Older Adult Services

Early in 2008, NASW-NY Chapter reviewed a policy statement regarding older adults (services and related issues). Ms. Cynthia Eygabroad, LMSW is heard from interested social work professionals who had recommendations for modifying/updating the statement.

5) Elder abuse training for law enforcement

Background:

Elder Abuse Prevention Program affiliated with LIFESPAN of Greater Rochester partnered with Center of Excellence to develop an evaluation protocol for recent law enforcement training (2006-2007)

Procedure/Results:

Knowledge/attitudes instrument administered to 1200 police and probation trainees following 4-hour training
BSW students created SPSS database/entered/analyzed data
Database used as part of MSW research course to teach methods of data analysis
Submitted for publication, June 2007

6) Domestic Violence Service Utilization in New York State for Older Adult Women Aged 60+

Background:

Elder Abuse Prevention Program affiliated with LIFESPAN of Greater Rochester partnered with Center of Excellence to develop a survey to collect preliminary information about the utilization of DV services of women aged 60+. (2007-2008)

Procedure/Results:

Collaborated with New York State Domestic Violence Coalition to survey 122 providers in 62 counties
Data analysis being conducted summer 2007

Publications

Publications:

Fromm Faria, D., Dauenhauer, J.A., & Steitz, D. (2010). Fostering social work gero competencies: Qualitative analysis of an intergenerational service learning course. Gerontology and Geriatrics Education, 31(1), 92-113.

Dauenhauer, J., Steitz, D., Aponte, C., & Fromm Faria, D. (2010). Perspectives on older adults and the aging family: Evaluation of a gerocompetency-based intergenerational service learning course. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 53(4), 319-335.

Katz, P.R., Karuza, J., Intrator, O., Zin, J., Mor, V., Caprio, T., Caprio, A., Dauenhauer, J., & Lima, J. (2009). Medical staff organization in nursing homes: Scale development and validation. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association,10, 498-504.

Faria, D., David, V., Dauenhauer, J., & Dwyer. D. (2007). Using collaboration to maximize outcomes for a John A. Hartford Geriatric Enrichment Project. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 48(3/4), 367-386..

Dauenhauer, J.A., Cattat-Meyer, K, & Mason, A. (2007). Evaluation of Adult Protective Services: Perspectives of Community Professionals. Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect (in press).

Biographies

Debra Fromm Faria , LCSW, ACSW is Director of Field Education for the GRC MSW Program and Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work at SUNY Brockport She has broad experience in gerontologic social work as an educator, administrator, practitioner and consultant . Professor Faria was the Principal Investigator for a John A. Hartford Geriatric Enrichment Grant (GeroRich) and is the Principal Investigator for the SUNY Brockport Practicum Partnership Program. She is an appointed faculty mentor for the Council on Social Work Education’s Gero Ed Center and is an invited reviewer for annual Gero Forum at the Council on Social Work Education’s Annual Program Meeting and Planning Chair for the 2004 national meeting of John A. Hartford GeroRich projects directors.

Jason Dauenhauer , Ph.D., MSW is Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work at SUNY Brockport and Coordinator of the Aging Studies Interdisciplinary Minor. Prior to his arrival at SUNY Brockport, Dr. Dauenhauer was Project Coordinator of the Finger Lakes GEC since 1997 and was consultant for the SUNY Brockport GeroRich Grant. He is the evaluator for the SUNY Brockport Practicum Partnership Program grant and is Principal Investigator for a service-learning and aging grant funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Virginia David , LMSW is Professor and Chair of the department of social work at Nazareth College and has been teaching social work for more than 25 years. She received her M.S.W. from Syracuse University and is the co-author of several federal and state grants ranging from child welfare training to gerontology curriculum integration. Her research interests include ethics and child welfare service delivery. She has practiced as a social worker in health care and most recently led caregivers' groups for the Veterans Administration. She is a former visiting professor at the University of Mauritius, Reduit, Mauritius. Professor David currently serves as the co-chair of NASW-NYS Committee on Inquiry, which oversees ethics complaints for social work in New York State.

Last Updated 11/7/12