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THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER® Social Work E-News
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Issue #44, July 21, 2004
EDITOR'S EYE
Dear Social Work Colleagues,
Welcome to Issue #44 of the Social Work E-News. This e-mail newsletter is brought to you by the publisher of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine and other social work publications.
The National Kidney Foundation is celebrating 50 years of organ transplantation this month. In this issue of the E-News, I have included some information about these activities and about renal social work resources.
Also in this issue of the E-News is a feature article by one of our readers, Stephanie Geller. She discusses some important issues related to aging. How do you determine if someone is aging "normally" or not? What resources are available to caregivers? And what is the objective and subjective burden placed on them? These are some of the questions that are addressed in her article.
I sometimes receive e-mail from readers wanting to know how they can change the e-mail address where they receive this newsletter. See the "Newsletter Necessities" section near the end of the newsletter for instructions on how to do this.
The Summer issue of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine is out! See highlights in this issue.
Until next time,
Linda Grobman, ACSW, LSW
Publisher/Editor
THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER®
http://www.socialworker.com
linda.grobman@paonline.com
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IN THIS ISSUE
Words From Our Sponsors
Features
On Our Web Site
In Print
Social Work Gifts
Job Corner/Current Job Openings
Newsletter Necessities
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A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR
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HTTP://SOCIALWORKEXAM.COM
Social Work Exam Prep Review. Prepare right on the Internet!! Multiple choice exam banks, Timed Questions, Secrets to Passing, DSM-IV Terms, Notables, all Online and Interactive. Reveal strengths and weaknesses so you can map your study strategy. Check out our FREE QUESTION SAMPLER!!
Licensure Exams, Inc.
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A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR
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Social Work Journals from Taylor & Francis
Please visit the following sites for more information about a number of our key titles:
Journal of Social Work Practice http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/02650533.asp
Social Work Education http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/02615479.asp
European Journal of Social Work http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/13691457.asp
For further information or to request a sample copy please contact Sara Spikins at the following address:
Taylor & Francis, 4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN, UK.
Email Sara.Spikins@tandf.co.uk
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FEATURES
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ARE WE AGING NORMALLY?
By: Stephanie Geller, MSW, RSW
Our population is getting older. In Canada, for example, more than one out of every eight people is a senior. Words such as "dementing, depression, and agitation" are among our everyday terminology when we work with seniors in social work practice. I am often asked "What is normal aging?" by clients that I encounter, and the answer is simple.
We will all get old, some with fewer complications than others. But when it comes to the mind, many of us become afraid that it will fail us, and that we will suffer some type of dementia in later life.
According to MedLinePlus, dementia refers to a group of symptoms involving progressive impairment of brain function. Vascular dementia and Alzheimers disease are the two most often talked about forms of abnormal aging. In both cases, there are distinguished differences in the brain. Brain functioning and loss of nerve cells are common in the aforementionned degenerative dementias. Forgetfulness is one of the first symptoms of dementia. So how do we stop ourselves from worrying that we are not aging normally? With normal deterioration of the brain, we may not remember in the evening what we had for lunch that day, but it is likely that the memory will come back several hours later. In Alzheimers disease, recollection of short term events is very difficult, if not impossible.
Other ways of explaining the difference between normal aging and dementia are as follows. With normal aging, people may forget details of a recent experience but not the experience itself. In other words, they may not be able to recall a person's name or where they were when they encountered them, but they will be able to recollect the event happening. People with Alzheimers disease will forget the event entirely. Another major difference between normal aging and abnormal aging is that in normal aging, a person will frequently remember a forgotten item, such as a checkbook. Those with dementia will not even be aware that they forgot the item.
Be it normal or abnormal dementia, resources for people with memory difficulty are scarce. As a social worker in Ontario, I often assist caregivers in negotiating community services geared toward older adults. With the added costs of caring for a dementing senior, the additional costs of adult day programs, respite care, and in-home help far exceed what is affordable. Most community agencies that will send out workers to assist in the home charge about $16.00 per hour. Moreover, getting care recipients to accept a stranger in the home is most challenging. You will hear about adult day programs specializing in dementia, but after several months of programming, it is more often the truth that as a person regresses, and his or her level of care increases, the day program staff will reassess the day program's goals and see if it is still manageable to keep the recipient in the day program or if a higher level of care is more suitable.
Many caregivers talk about "objective" and "subjective" burden. Objective burden refers to issues such as affordability of programs and time spent caring for a person with dementia. Subjective burden refers to the emotional costs of care giving, such as personal and leisure time, and mental health results of care giving. Studies suggest that objective burden renders greater results with the use of support services, but subjective burden is often more difficult to combat. Mental health issues have risen significantly among caregivers and though this is a growing concern, few caregivers seek assistance when it comes to their own health. This is through no fault of their own. My experience with caregivers has shown that they do not feel that their physicians are well in-tune with caregiving demands.
The onus then falls on social service providers, caregivers, and seniors as a whole, to educate health care providers on the needs of caregivers. Moreover, they need to utilize the services that are currently available for caregivers and care recipients alike to promote healthy living and an active lifestyle.
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50th Anniversary of Organ Transplantation to be Celebrated at 2004 U.S. Transplant Games
Fifty years ago, when doctors astounded the world with a kidney transplant between identical twins, no one could have imagined that this medical technology would eventually save over 400,000 lives and make it possible for more than 2,000 transplant recipients to celebrate their second chances in an Olympic-style sports competition, the National Kidney Foundation U.S. Transplant Games.
The Transplant Games, to be held from July 28-August 1 at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, are the largest sports event in the world for people with life-saving organ transplants. Win or lose, this group of athletes all carry an inner trophy--a new organ that qualifies them for the dream team in the game of life.
The National Kidney Foundation U.S. Transplant Games attract athletes from all 50 states who compete for gold, silver, and bronze medals in 13 different sports, including track and field, swimming, cycling, and basketball. The five-day event, presented biennially since 1990, also features educational programs and workshops for families of living and non-living organ donors and medical professionals in the field of transplantation.
Since the Games' inception in 1990 when 1,000 people convened in Indianapolis, the event has experienced meteoric growth. The U.S. Transplant Games attracted 8,000 in 2002 in Orlando and there is an anticipated participation for '04 of a total of 10,000 people, including athletes, families, donor families, and transplant professionals.
In addition to the sports competition, special events commemorating the 50th anniversary of transplantation will be held. Dr. Joseph Murray, who headed the Boston team that performed the first successful kidney transplant between identical twins in 1954, will be honored. Murray, who is 84 and won a 1990 Nobel Prize for Medicine for his pioneering work in organ transplantation, is planning to personally attend the 2004 U.S. Transplant Games.
The Games also call attention to the dramatic national organ shortage. More than 80,000 Americans are currently on the national transplant waiting list for every type of life-saving organ transplant and 17 people die each day while waiting.
For more information on the U.S. Transplant Games, call the Foundation at (800) 622-9010.
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MORE RESOURCES ON RENAL SOCIAL WORK
Visit the National Kidney Foundation Web site to find the following:
Main Site & http://www.kidney.org & Here you can find patient and family education materials, information for professionals, news and information, government relations updates, information about the 2004 U.S. Transplant Games, and more
Council of Nephrology Social Workers & http://www.kidney.org/professionals/CNSW/index.cfm -- Here you will find information about educational meetings for social workers, professional resource links, info on membership in the Council, info about publications, and online PDF-format articles from the Renalink newsletter.
Other sites of interest on renal/nephrology social work:
NASW/NKF Practice Standards & http://www.socialworkers.org/practice/standards/nephrology_settings.asp -- This page contains the text of the document "NASW/NKF Clinical Indicators for Social Work and Psychosocial Service in Nephrology Settings," which was prepared and approved by the National Association of Social Workers and the Council of Nephrology Social Workers of the National Kidney Foundation in October 1994. This document outlines the scope of practice for social workers in nephrology settings, as well as 8 core clinical indicators for social workers in these settings.
Nephrology Social Work Archive & http://resource-database.com & Social worker Donald Prebus, LCSW, has put together an independently operated framework for nephrology social work professionals to share resources. The site contains links to a wide variety of resources and serves as a "virtual library" for nephrology social workers and other professionals in the field of kidney disease.
RenalNet & http://www.renalnet.org & This site is subtitled "The Kidney Information Clearinghouse," and offers information, online discussion forums, a dialysis unit directory, job postings, and more. There is a page specifically for social workers at http://www.renalnet.org/renalnet/esrd/esrd12.cfm
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ON OUR WEB SITE
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THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER's Web site at http://www.socialworker.com includes the full text of many sample articles from past issues of the magazine. Go to the Back Issues page at http://www.socialworker.com/backissu.htm to find links to these articles. Here you will also find information on ordering back issues either in print or electronically.
Our online discussion forum/message board is a place for open discussion of a variety of social work-related issues. Join in our discussion at http://www.socialworker.com/discus -- you do not have to be a registered user to participate, but registering allows you to use some additional features of the message board. Recent discussions have focused on ethical dilemmas, applying to graduate school, and more.
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IN PRINT
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SUMMER ISSUE AVAILABLE NOW
The Summer issue of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine is available now. Here are some highlights of this issue:
Ethics: Asserting Myself-Do I Dare?
Field Placement: Shaping Your Professional Self in the Practicum
Traumatic Stress and Prostitution: Reexperienced Trauma for Regained Control
A Miracle Among Devastation: My Semester in Zimbabwe
Reflections on Social Work for Graduates
Career Talk: Getting Prepared for the Job Interview
How to Avoid the Crash and Burn
New Technologies Reshaping Social Work: Emerging Issues
and more!
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SOCIAL WORK GIFTS
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Do you need a unique gift for someone who is interested in social work, a colleague, or a student? Here are some ideas:
Subscription to THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine--$15 for 1 year (to U.S. address)
Books-DAYS IN THE LIVES OF SOCIAL WORKERS offers an overview of "typical" days in 50 different social work settings! THE SOCIAL WORK GRADUATE SCHOOL APPLICANT'S HANDBOOK is a great gift for a graduating BSW who is thinking about graduate school.
"I Am a Social Worker" Buttons-Red buttons with yellow lettering. Stock up on them and give them to your fellow classmates, colleagues, or new graduates.
These items and more are available at our online store at http://www.whitehatcommunications.com/store
We also have specialty items (social work mugs, teddy bears, and more) at http://www.cafepress.com/socialworker -- you won't find these ANYWHERE else!
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JOB CORNER
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CURRENT JOB OPENINGS:
Deputy Division Director, Casey Family Services, Hartford, CT, and Boston, MA-
http://jobs.socialworkjobbank.com/c/job.cfm?site_id=122&jb=504781
Clinician, L.A. CADA, Santa Fe Springs, CA-
http://jobs.socialworkjobbank.com/c/job.cfm?site_id=122&jb=498215
Youth Care Worker, Service Alternatives for WA, Inc., Kent-
http://jobs.socialworkjobbank.com/c/job.cfm?site_id=122&jb=491156
Qualified Social Worker, newwave professional ltd., UK-
http://jobs.socialworkjobbank.com/c/job.cfm?site_id=122&jb=502457
Click on the links above (or copy and paste them into your browser, if they do not show up as links in your e-mail) to see the full detailed listings for these jobs at SocialWorkJobBank.com.
Find more jobs at http://www.socialworkjobbank.com, THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER's online job board and career center. Both new grads and experienced social work practitioners are included in our ever-growing candidate profile bank, which now includes almost 3,900 confidential profiles/resumes of social work job seekers! We are proud of the fact that this site was chosen as one of 350 (out of 40,000+ employment sites) to be included in Weddle's Recruiter's and Job Seeker's Guide to Employment Web Sites 2004.
If you or your agency are hiring social workers, don't forget to post your jobs on SocialWorkJobBank.com. Please check the SocialWorkJobBank "products/pricing" page for job posting options and SPECIAL offers.
All job seeker services are FREE-including searching current job openings, posting your confidential resume/profile, and requesting e-mail job alerts. Please let employers know that you saw their listings in the SOCIAL WORK E-NEWS and at SocialWorkJobBank.com.
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ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER
THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER® SOCIAL WORK E-NEWS is published by:
White Hat Communications (publisher of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER® magazine and THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER® ONLINE)
P.O. Box 5390
Harrisburg, PA 17110-0390
Linda Grobman, Editor
linda.grobman@paonline.com
http://www.socialworker.com
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