Agency Gerontology Enrichment (AGE) Grant Recipients

Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley in partnership with IGSW 
Using a series of interactive online courses in aging developed by IGSW, ESMV is conducting a randomized control trial to test the effectiveness of an IGSW designed training program in increasing practice competencies . ESMV, an Area Agency on Aging based in Lawrence , MA , is committed to providing older adults with resources to enable them to maintain a safe and independent lifestyle in their communities . Attractive features of ESMV include the agency’s support for agency-wide training involving the highest levels of management, and its commitment to evaluation of training effectiveness.

LGBT Aging Project
The LGBT Aging Project has developed an innovative program to train social workers to work with LGBT elders. The Project is a coalition of aging service providers and activists committed to ensuring that LGBT elders have equal access to quality services. The Project is dedicated to training Massachusetts agencies serving LGBT elders adults to provide culturally-competent services. The program begins with an initial 5-hour staff training, followed by an innovative 10-session agency review process. Recognizing that agency protocols can hinder staff’s ability to apply skills acquired during training, the Project works with agency management to identify and adapt policies that serve as barriers to effective implementation of the program curriculum.

LivHOME
LivHOME is a proprietary geriatric care management company located in Santa Monica , CA with 11 offices spanning from California to the Midwest . LivHOME is noteworthy because of its use of evidence-based assessment and a systematic mentoring program. New employees at LivHOME undergo an in-depth assessment to identify their knowledge and skill deficits, and are then matched with experienced care managers in an extensive mentoring program. These learning teams ensure that each new employee receives a specialized orientation program that addresses the specific areas for professional growth identified in the assessment.

Huntington Senior Care Network
The Senior Care Network (SCN) at Huntington Hospital in Huntington , CA is currently testing two programs that show the potential of using evidence-based interventions in social work. Using a proactive, systems change perspective, SCN has identified important service needs, proven interventions to address them, and designed innovative training programs for care managers (many of whom are social workers) to employ them. The programs involve medication management using tested assessment protocols and the Healthy Moves for Aging Well project, which aims to improve the health status of seniors through physical activity. Both interventions have been developed in partnership with the Partners in Care Foundation in Pasadena , CA.

Retired Social Workers Project, NASW Illinois in partnership with IGSW
The Retired Social Workers (RSW) project is an initiative of NASW Illinois to recruit and train retired social workers to re-enter the workforce as elder services professionals.  IGSW is working in partnership with RSW to identify and create a model for training retired social workers who wish to return to the workforce. Through a combination of interactive, face-to-face training and online core courses in aging, this collaboration will be using the latest technology to provide training and expand the social work labor force.

Rush University Medical Center
Through the Geriatric Interdisciplinary Team Training (GITT) program, Rush University Medical Center will expand the scope of geriatric training to social work staff at the hospital. The comprehensive training uses lectures, case studies and group discussion to foster interactivity and participation among the staff. Additionally, Rush will provide ongoing learning supports for participants to reinforce and enhance learning of the training materials, including peer-to-peer mentoring, job shadowing, and online curriculum.

Stairways Behavioral Health
Stairways is a non-profit organization providing mental health education, counseling and rehabilitation services. Based in Pennsylvania , the state with the second largest population of elders, Stairways is expanding their training in geriatric social work to several other agencies serving elders across northwestern Pennsylvania . The program begins with a full-day foundation training, and is followed by ongoing bi-monthly “learning circles” designed to provide social workers with structured, peer-to-peer mentoring and learning experiences.

State of Washington Aging and Disability Services Administration
With funding from the AGE Training Initiative, the State of Washington ASDA is providing innovative training that blends online and face-to-face approaches for 13 Area Agencies on Aging. The ASDA employs over 800 staff social workers to conduct assessments and provide care management to elders. The Dementia Specialty Training Program will increase the competency of ASDA social work staff in working with clients with dementia through a four-step training approach that will incorporate DVD self-study, classroom instruction, mentoring, and shadowing.