Hartford Geriatric Social Work Faculty Scholars Program and National Network (Cohorts VII- X)

Grant Summary

The John A. Hartford Foundation has awarded a renewal grant to the Gerontological Society of America to provide: financial and career support for 30 Hartford Geriatric Social Work Faculty Scholars, overall coordination of the Hartford Geriatric Social Work Initiative, and support for three projects to improve geriatric social work training and research. This grant seeks to support faculty who will advance geriatric social work through research and the training of social work students to care for older persons. This project was first funded in 1999, and $7.8 million in grants have supported 60 faculty scholars to date.The 30 faculty scholars supported over the five years of this grant will receive $50,000 for two years to undertake a significant aging-focused research project with intensive career support from national and institutional mentors and faculty development institutes and workshops. The Gerontological Society of America serves as the coordinating center for the overall Hartford Geriatric Social Work Initiative and will continue to increase the national visibility and desirability of geriatric social work. Additionally, three smaller projects will be supported including the development of social work teaching videos to be distributed to 600 schools of social work. the establishment of a National Center for Family Caregiving, which will feature social work as the lead profession in the evaluation and development of work with older adults and their caregivers. and the potential funding for a Summer Research Institute co-sponsored by the National Institute on Aging to enhance the grant writing skills of social workers.The need for geriatric social workers is great. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that by 2020, there will be a need for 60,000-70,000 professional social workers to serve older adults and their families, while currently there are only approximately 13,500. While 62 percent of social workers report the need for geriatric knowledge, only about 5.5 percent of all social work students specialize in aging. A failure to increase geriatric leadership within schools of social work will only maintain the status quo-a dearth of students and future practitioners entering careers in geriatric social work, and minimal social work research aimed at improving the care of our aging population.Since 1998, the John A. Hartford Foundation has granted approximately $41 million to advance efforts in geriatric social work. The Hartford Faculty Scholars project of the Gerontological Society of America has leveraged over $35 million in additional research funding.

Grant Details

Organization

Gerontological Society of America

Grant Amount

$6,414,200

Grant Period

60 months

Approval Date

2007

Priority Area

Legacy Strategies

Status

Closed

Primary Contact

Barbara J. Berkman
bb151@columbia.edu

Program Officer

Nora OBrien-Suric

Location

New York, New York

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