Social Work with Older Adults A Biopsychosocial Approach to Assessment and Intervention

A practical, comprehensive approach to the major areas of social work with older adults
Social Work with Older Adults provides pre- and in-service social workers with a clear and engaging all-in-one resource for working with older adults. This practical and comprehensive text examines the basics of biopsychosocial functioning, the assessment of older adults’ strengths, and the design of both traditional and alternative interventions to treat a wide variety of challenges facing older adults. Readers are given the opportunity to practice the tools and strategies they need in the field through numerous case studies, discussion questions, and new integrated learning activities.

The 5th Edition includes a new chapter (13) that details the importance of community programs, as well as expanded coverage of culturally responsive practice throughout the text. New cases with discussion questions and new end-of-chapter integrated learning activities offer readers even more opportunities for practice.

Kathleen McInnis-Dittrich was an Associate Professor at the Boston College School of Social Work and Chair of the Older Adults and Families Concentration. She received her B.A. from Marquette University, her MSW from Tulane University and her Ph.D from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has extensive practice experience with older adults in community, residential and health care settings. She taught for 15 years at Marquette University and was on the faculty at Boston College since 1994. Dr. McInnis-Dittrich’s writing and research is focused on clinical and macro practice with older adults. Her writing has appeared in Families in Society, Aging and Mental Health, The Clinical Supervisor, Social Development Issues, Migration Today, Journal of Women and Aging, Educational Gerontology, Race, Gender and Class, and Journal of Teaching in Social Work. She is the author of three books: Social Work with Older Adults: A Biopsychosocial Approach to Assessment and Intervention, 3rd edition (Pearson, 2014), Integrating Social Welfare Policy and Social Work Practice (Brooks/Cole, 1994) and The Hmong in America: Providing Ethnic-Sensitive Health, Education, and Human Service (Kendall-Hunt, 1990). She has also contributed to the Handbook of Social Work and Aging, the Cambridge Handbook of Sociology, Social Work Practice with Asian Americans, and Collaborative Practice.

1. The Context of Social Work Practice with Older Adults2. Biological Changes and the Physical Well-Being of Older Adults
3. Psychosocial Adjustments to Aging
4. Conducting a Biopsychosocial Assessment
5. Differential Assessment and Diagnosis of Cognitive and Emotional Problems of Older Adults
6.  Interventions for Depression, Anxiety, and Dementia in Older Adults
7. Complementary and Alternative Approaches to Treating Socioemotional Conditions in Older Adults
8. Substance Abuse and Suicide Prevention in Older Adults
9. Social Work Practice in Identifying and Preventing Abuse and Neglect of Older Adults
10. The Role of Spirituality in Social Work with Older Adults
11. Advance Care Planning and End-of-Life Care for Older Adults
12. Working with Older Adults’ Support Systems in Caregiving
13. Community Programs to Support “Aging in Place:” Age-Friendly Communities, Transportation, and Housing
14. Income Programs, Health Insurance, and Support Services for Older Adults: Challenges and Opportunities