Online via Zoom. Lunch break from 12pm-1pm.

This course will explore a variety of issues facing older adults and their caregivers in an aging society. We will review the strengths and challenges of aging in the 21st century within the context of medical advancements; where and how people live as they age; the impact of intergenerational trauma and epigenetics on aging; how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected aging people and their formal and informal caregivers; how social workers in all settings can familiarize themselves with issues facing aging people; and the ways in which intersecting identities of race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, religion/spirituality, and socioeconomic status all impact the ways people receive medical care, facilitate advance care planning, and plan for the wide range of their needs in later life.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will identify important issues facing the older adult community.

2. Participants will learn about and how to access important resources to help facilitate care for older adults regardless of their practice settings (i.e., Health Care Proxy documents, geriatric care managers, elder law attorneys, institutional and community-based resources).

3. Participants will have a general knowledge base of medical and legal issues related to aging, especially in the context of dementia and/or cognitive impairment and other serious illnesses.

4. Participants will have an understanding of how clinician awareness and advocacy regarding intersectionality are vital in meeting older adult clients’ needs.