Earlier this month, I spoke—along with many colleagues in the health professions—at a Capitol Hill briefing with Senator Kohl (D-Wis) and his staff. Senator Kohl sponsored Senate Bill 245, Retooling the Health Care Workforce for an Aging America Act of 2009, which amends the Public Health Service Act to require the expansion of training to insure a geriatrics-competent health care workforce. Sponsored by the Eldercare Workforce Alliance, a Hartford grantee, the briefing focused on the importance of increased funding for these training programs. This briefing was an incredible experience for me. As a first generation college graduate, who was born and raised in Arkansas, I would never have expected to be influencing national policy, or to be recently promoted to Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; I thank Hartford for my good fortune. I truly believe that the faculty development programs within the Geriatric Social Work Initiative (GSWI)—the Doctoral Fellows Program and the Faculty Scholars Program—are the foundation of my success as a geriatric social work educator and researcher.

The 10th anniversary of the GSWI—featured in the 2009 Annual Report--is the perfect opportunity for me to thank Hartford for the opportunities the Foundation has given me. (See my profile in the Annual Report for more background.) The Doctoral Fellows and Faculty Scholars programs not only provided me with financial security that allowed me to focus on my aging-related interests, but also introduced me to other Hartford grantees. With geriatrics still an unfortunately small concentration within the field of social work, it is very helpful to have a network of colleagues I can contact for support and for the sharing of ideas and resources.

I am eager to help persuade the next generation of social workers that they, too, can enjoy a fascinating career in clinical or academic social work by focusing on aging. I teach undergraduate students and guest-lecture as much as possible in other undergraduate courses. My main message is that elders are just as complex and rewarding to work with as children and families. Students are often surprised to hear that young people are not the only ones who struggle with drug and alcohol addictions, abuse, depression, suicide, eating disorders and other issues—elders do, too. Right now, however, I am happy if I can convince four or five out of 100 students in a classroom to approach me concerning learning more about geriatric social work. Unfortunately, four or five out of 100 aren’t going to be enough to fill all of the social work positions needed to serve our nation’s growing number of elders. Most of these jobs will be filled by more traditionally trained, children-and-family-focused graduates. That’s why Hartford’s curriculum-related programs, like the Gero-Ed Center, are so important—information on caring for elders needs to become firmly embedded in the social work curriculum.

Although four or five interested students may seem few in number, I am encouraged by the knowledge that they may well go on to be the next generation of Doctoral Fellows and Faculty Scholars, stepping into our shoes to educate BSW and MSW students about aging and to conduct the research we need to inform evidence-based practice for all social workers who work with elders. Perhaps my recent trip to Washington will help increase the funding necessary to encourage more social work students to explore what a career in aging might hold for them. Whether it does or not, I am hopeful for the future of the field because of the GSWI programs that the Hartford Foundation has been tirelessly nurturing for the past decade.

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