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The article presents an overview of the importance of developing competence in nurses and social workers. A discussion of higher education curricula, social work programs and on the job training programs which have been initiated in an effort to help nurses and social workers develop needed competencies for their careers is presented. The impact the development of competence may have on social work, nursing and caregivers who provide care to chronically ill family members is examined and discussed.

The Practicum Partnership Program (PPP), an innovative field education model developed and implemented by six demonstration sites over four years (2000-2004), uses a structured university-community partnership, or consortium, as the foundation for designing, implementing, and evaluating internships for graduate social work students specializing in aging. This paper describes the site consortia and PPP programs, presents evaluation findings, and identifies future directions for the PPP. Student learning outcomes were positive and both students and consortia agencies reported positive PPP experiences. The PPP model underscores the value of the community agencies as equal partners in educating future geriatric social workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the increasing demand for, and shortage of, well‐prepared geriatric social workers, there is currently no replicable geriatric social work field training model. The Geriatric Social Work Education Consortium (GSWEC) was developed as the United States' first regional consortium in geriatric social work field training geared to preparing leaders in the field of aging. GSWEC unites four graduate social work programs, five aging service organizations as Centers of Excellence, and 12 associate agencies in order to integrate graduate academic and field curriculum in geriatric social work, based on the continuum of geriatric care. The methodology involves a Systematic Research Synthesis to identify features of successful educational consortia. Bailey and McNally Koney's Community‐Based Consortia Development (CBCD) framework was selected to describe the features of GSWEC. The CBCD model is described and the literature is synthesized by the seven CBCD components: leadership; membership; environmental linkages; purpose; strategy; structure; and systems. The GSWEC model is presented by the CBCD framework as an innovative and replicable model for geriatric social work field education. Lessons learned highlight the importance of strong leadership, careful selection of partners, geographic equity, interpersonal relationships, phased development, and having a clear administrative structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide population ageing, concomitant increases in disability rates, and changes in family health care systems require an examination of current service delivery to optimize use of societal resources in the future. This article examines a community health care approach suggested by research conducted by the World Health Organization Kobe Centre for Health Development (WKC). The WKC approach, which uses a cross-national perspective, envisions a community health care system that integrates health and social services and spans health promotion, primary care, and long-term care. Prototypical approaches for organizing community health care include communal, marketplace, case management, and managed care. The ramifications of these approaches are examined from the perspectives of the older adult, the family, and formal service providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Training for interdisciplinary practice is integral to preparation of well-qualified gerontological social workers. Social work and other disciplines must be prepared to function in teams to achieve mutually determined therapeutic patient goals and to maintain team efficiency. A conceptual framework is presented to organize the content areas for social work education in preparation for interdisciplinary practice. Curricula tools and learning exercises are given as examples and resources for teaching in each of the four major components of the framework: context, structure, process and outcomes. Recommendations for curriculum considerations are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the impact of 1995 White House Report Conference on Aging (WHCoA) on social work education and training. The U.S. Bureau of Health Professions held a National Forum on geriatric education and training to address the labor force demands of the aging population. The Forum was composed of experts in geriatric education and funders, providers, consumers, health professional educators and policy makers. The purpose of it is to set an agenda for geriatric education. The vision of aging services was put forth in this Forum, in the Social Work White Paper, which is compatible with the 1995 WHCoA resolutions. In order to prepare social workers to advocate for and work in an integrated, empowered system, the White Paper suggests that the curriculum for gerontological social work should strongly based in the bio-psychosocial perspective. Twelve recommendations for social work education are made in the Social Work White Paper to address these issues. The 1995 WHCoA resolutions advocate for education and training as interventions to address service delivery needs of older adults.

This paper describes the effort of the California Geriatric Education Center (CGEC) at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to rectify the severe shortage of social work faculty trained in aging as reported in a recent national survey of schools of social work. The lack of gerontological social work faculty is a major barrier to the development of aging curricula in BSW and MSW programs. The CGEC Social Work Faculty Development Program (SWFDP) presents a model for faculty development in gerontology which addresses major issues in social work education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]