The swelling ranks of Americans age 65-plus have increased the demand for skilled caregivers who can address the increasingly complex and diverse healthcare and psychosocial needs of older adults. Social workers are uniquely prepared to care for older adults in a wide range of acute- and long-term-care settings by helping older adults and their families choose among, gain access to, and navigate a bewildering array of health and social services, among other important functions. According to government data, opportunities for geriatric social workers are expected to grow significantly. But, a number of barriers currently prevent them from providing optimal care to elders. Reimbursement and training policies that fail to support social work services deter individual practitioners from specializing in gerontology.The result is a shortage of professionals trained to care for the elderly. Identifying the barriers, and promoting realistic efforts to minimize or eliminate them, is the current
challenge. Meeting this challenge is crucial for the future social work labor force and for an aging population that increasingly needs their services.