Among the resolutions at the recent fifth White House Conference on Aging was the decision to “attain adequate numbers of healthcare providers who are skilled and culturally competent in geriatrics.” Much needs to be done to recruit and retain social service professionals who have expertise in working with older adults, and to educate the public and other professionals as to the value of social work interventions with the elderly.The Social Work Leadership Institute (SWLI) at the New York Academy of Medicine and The Institute for Geriatric Social Work (IGSW) at Boston University, both funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies, are working to address these concerns. SWLI’s Center on Aging
Policy (CAP) provides a range of services and products to practitioners, as well as legislators and public officials, to advance public policy strategies ensuring a qualified workforce caring for older adults. IGSW has created a wide range of initiatives to improve the quality of social work practice with older adults through the latest in educational design, evaluation of training effectiveness, and policy-relevant research.