Advance directives are documents that state how you want to be cared for if you are unable to make or express your decisions. These documents also appoint the go-to person you want to handle important health care decisions for you.
Seniors & Aging
How Social Workers Help Older Adults
Social workers provide support and services to older adults and their families, including older people who are active and healthy, those who are in poor physical or mental health, those in the community, and those in institutions.
Social Worker as Geriatric Care Manager
By Pamela Bednar-Braun, MSW A geriatric care manager is a professional who specializes in assisting older people and their families with long-term care arrangements. Care managers have a minimum of a bachelor's degree or substantial equivalent training in gerontology,...
Advance Care Planning: What you need to know
Families plan and prepare for major life events: attending college, getting married, having a baby, and retiring at the end of a career. However, few plan for events such as how we would want our health care delivered if we become very ill. Or some people may be...
Taking Care of Your Aging Parents: Important Documents
Read a list of important documents to have on hand if you are planning to take care of your aging parents.
Caring for Aging Parents: How social workers can help
Do you worry about how you can balance caring for your children with caring for an aging parent? You are not alone.
Psychiatric Advance Directives: Empowering People With Serious Mental Illnesses
A Psychiatric Advance Directive or PAD is a tool that can help people experiencing a crisis have more control over their care .
Alzheimer’s Disease/Dementia Tip Sheet
Introduction Dressing Communication Eating Bathing Introduction Thousands of social workers in the United States who help individuals with Alzheimer's disease or dementia and their families every day in many different settings. Below are tips for anyone who is...
Lifespan Planning: Real Life Story
By Forrest Hong, PhD, LCSW, CMC Renee is a working professional with a husband and child. She and her immediate family live in the Southwest region of the country. She has recently been informed by her aunt's physician that she will need to come to California to take...
Vital Aging: Organizations that Help
Find organizations that offer resources for vital aging.
Find a Social Worker
Recent Articles
Couples’ Lament: Stop Arguing, Start Laughing
By Lorrie R. Appleton, LCSW “You have got to be kidding me! I leave the children with you for five minutes and now they have colored all over the wall? What were you thinking?? Was your brain in your head when I put you in charge?” Verbal Reply: “It’s just a...
A Letter to LGBTQIA2S+ Kids, Youth from Social Workers
We write this letter to LGBTQIA2S+ kids and youth to express deep gratitude that you exist, because our world would be incomplete without you. We honor the richness of your authenticity and openly proclaim that you are perfect exactly as you are. Ralph Waldo Emerson...
Ask a Social Worker: My son is being bullied
My 12-year-old son is getting bullied in school. He is not very athletic or popular but excels in his classes and band. But I’m worried. He complains he is sick more and wants to stay home instead of going to class. I think he is depressed. Some of the bullying may be...