Social Work team gives national presentation; receives award
Skidmore Social Work initiatives focusing on gerontological issues were showcased during at a recent national convention, where senior majors Emily Gorbach and Katelin Jennings gave presentations on their work and the College's program earned a national award.
Crystal Dea Moore, associate professor of social work, co-presented with Gorbach on the award-winning "best practices" panel, designed to spotlight programs that raise awareness about gerontological issues. Jennings provided a solo presentation on her research, which featured intergenerational activities.
The presentations took place in November at the annual meeting of the Council on Social Work Education in San Antonio, Texas. Gorbach and Moore joined panelists from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and Ball State University on the Anita Rosen Panel for Best Practices in Gerontological Infusion. Panelists, representing both BSW and MSW programs, explained how content about the aged was incorporated specifically into social work classes. Each participating school received a $200 grant for curricular support related to gerontology.
Gorbach described her intergenerational project?a mural painting session involving older and younger people. The activity was chosen to encourage interaction between the two groups, which she observed and then discussed with the participants.
The older participants were members of the Saratoga Springs Senior Citizens Center and residents of Embury Apartments and the youngsters, who ranged in age from 6 to 14 years old, were recruited from Saratoga Mentoring.
Moore explained that one goal was to offer Skidmore students the chance to develop the skills and establish a rapport with older adults. The project provided a special context for the demonstration of students' gerontological competencies.
Gorbach discovered that the older participants successfully interacted with younger people who were not relatives, and that the younger people learned that some of their stereotypes about older people were false. Both groups were pleasantly surprised by how well the project went.
Other examples of gerontological programs at Skidmore that were described at the conference included aging-specific field placements at Saratoga Hospital and Senior Hope, an addictions treatment center; touring continuing care retirement communities and lunch with older residents there; and an oral history of older adults. Moore and Jennings collaborated on that final project, which focused on how oral history can be used as a pedagogical tool in the Social Work curriculum. To determine the effectiveness of oral history, Jennings led a reminiscence and writing group at Wesley Health Care Center as part of her Social Work service learning experience.
For her poster presentation, Jennings described her intergenerational project, which included a series of activities led by Skidmore student volunteers and held on the Wesley campus. The experiences with older adults were highly rated by college students, and the residents at Wesley enjoyed the a cappella performances and visits by the students.
Support for many of the gerontological initiatives was provided in part by a grant that Moore and Skidmore received last year from the CSWE through its BSW Experiential Learning (BEL) Program. Skidmore received approximately $7,500 to implement hands-on opportunities with older adults for students likely to enter direct practice with that population. The funds have allowed all Skidmore Social Work students (currently totaling 25) to gain some experience working with older adults at locations throughout the Capital District.
Gorbach endorsed these initiatives, which she said has helped her gain competency regarding a specialty that she is eyeing for post-Skidmore employment.
In addition to helping students become more skilled, these options had added advantages, says Moore. "A great payoff of the BEL funds has been the ability to forge new community partnerships with agencies that serve older adults." She cited the Saratoga Hospital and connections made with several local residential facilities as examples. "These are relationships that we hope to sustain even after the funding ends," she added.