Health Promotion & Aging Resource Review for Teaching Health Promotion & Aging Section 3: The Role of Social Work in Promoting Health Victoria M. Rizzo, LCSW-R, PhD Jessica Seidman, LMSW Columbia University School of Social Work

The Social Worker’s Role with Older Adults Social workers can help older persons remain mobile & independent, thus increasing the quality of life not only of the aging individuals but their families as well.

The Social Worker’s Role in Promoting Health at the Community Level Provide assessment, counseling, and referral services regarding health promotion in clinical and multi- disciplinary settings. Enhance information sharing & research alliances.

The Social Worker’s Role in Promoting Health at the Community Level Improve the competence of communities to develop strategies for helping older adults define and reach their goals. Participate in community management. Advocate regarding development & maintenance of community infrastructure.

The Social Worker’s Role in Promoting Health at the Community Level Encourage better use of available resources. Develop partnerships among key players & stakeholders in the community. Promote economic developments that will lead to better health practices among the general population.

Social Work Models for Promoting Health Social workers play an important role in encouraging older adults to adopt healthy behaviors and to integrate health promotion into their lives. Challenges for older adults include: lack of knowledge & motivation, insufficient social support, inaccessibility to programs, and policies that promote unhealthy behaviors.

Social Work Models for Promoting Health: Nutrition Model Social Worker Tasks: nutritional assessment that includes information about food consumption, medical history, medications, financial circumstances, mobility, & accessibility to community institutions. Also, assess individual’s READINESS to change nutritional behavior.

Social Work Models for Promoting Health: Nutrition Model Activities to address malnutrition: Dine & interact with older members of the community. Deliver easy to make or ready-to-eat meals. Provide a microwave oven for simple meal preparation. Advocate for provision of effective nutrition services in health care facilities.

Social Work Models for Promoting Health: Physical Activity Model Social workers can be active partners in the community level development of physical activity programs. Strategies that they can use to promote physical activity for older adults include: Create a community goal statement designed to improve levels of physical activity among seniors. Form a community coalition or advisory unit composed of representatives from different community organizations to develop programs focused on increasing older adults’ opportunities for physical activity.

Social Work Models for Promoting Health: Physical Activity Model Assess the community’s needs regarding physical activity programs for older adults and the opportunities available to establish a program that meets those needs. Evaluate the accessibility & availability of the community’s physical activity programs for older adults.

Social Work Models for Promoting Health: Physical Activity Model Establish a community plan for dealing with barriers to seniors’ participation in physical activities and improvements needed to boost the participation of older adults in physical activity. Publish a resource tool that lists all physical activity programs in the community. Design a community campaign to inform older members about how to achieve the suggested amounts of physical activity.

Social Work Models for Promoting Health: Physical Activity Model Offer older adults of the community a variety of physical activity programs. Initiate physical activity programs and other opportunities that are appropriate, both culturally and in terms of physical location, for the entire community. Remain committed to ongoing development of programs and policies and to the involvement of people who represent different segments of the community.

Effects of Health Disparities & Cultural Diversity Older members of minority groups experience poorer health, are less adequately insured, and often receive disparate access to health care when compared to members of the non-minority group.

Effects of Health Disparities & Cultural Diversity To address these disparities, social workers must answer the following questions about the interventions they implement: What knowledge & attitudes prompt older adults’ requests for services? What preconceptions of both older adults & providers affect communication and influence the provision of services?

Effects of Health Disparities & Cultural Diversity What structure & financing of the health care system would improve individuals’ access to care? What is the impact of social & community factors on the delivery of health care services?

Other Strategies for Promoting Health Among Culturally Diverse Populations Engage the formal education system (public schools) to teach cultural diversity. Integrate cross-cultural awareness in training for all health care professionals. Build partnerships between health care systems and communities to enhance the health outcomes in diverse populations. Increase knowledge and collaborative work between communities and research institutions.

Health Policy and Health Promotion In Active Ageing: A Policy Framework, the World Health Organization (2002) identifies several key policy proposals to address the multitude of factors that can impact the health of older adults. These include policies that impact the economic influences on health, the training of the health workforce, and access to health care.