Area of Interest: Geriatric Social Worker

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Table of Contents

Character Traits
Skills
Areas of Knowledge
References

The area of interest is geriatric social work, a branch of social work specialized in working with older populations. The specialty is lucrative because opportunities in the field are growing exponentially as every country in the world experiences an increase in the number of the aged. By 2030, one in every six people worldwide will be aged sixty years and above (Pandya, 2021). As the world changes lifestyles where nuclear families are given top priority, most of the elderly population are left alone and often feel lonely. Other than the opportunities available for those who pursue the career, it is also attractive as it offers more significant insights into the aging process and prepares a person to focus on what matters most in life (Ball, 2018). The elderly have a broad spectrum of experience to share, and working with them offers a unique opportunity to learn from them.

The aging population has a broad spectrum of challenges in dealing with daily life issues and requires unique traits and skills to deal with them. Empathy is a person’s ability to understand another person’s feelings and act accordingly to make others feel better (Pandya, 2021). Perceiving another person’s pains is the prerequisite to solving them and making their life comfortable. Active listening and communication skills are traits that are key to serving as a geriatric social worker. Most of the elderly population find solace in talking to a person as a person working with the old; effective communication and listening skills are essential for success in the career. Patience is a character trait that is needed when working with the aged because most of them are slow and need to be given more time to achieve any task.

The critical area of knowledge paramount to a person dealing with the elderly population is the aging process, the health issues related to aging, advocacy, and elder abuse. Understanding the aging process helps the worker categorize people according to their aging level and offer services relative to their age. Knowledge of advocacy and elder abuse helps identify cases of elder abuse and helps report the abuse to the proper authority for action (Ball, 2018). Knowledge of health issues related to the elderly population is key to maintaining their health through observation and administering the proper medication.

Character Traits

Empathy and patience are the two most pertinent character traits that make me ideal for the position. I have worked as a childcare worker, dealing with children of different ages and mental abilities. Patience is critical when dealing with children because one needs to repeat instructions more than once for the children to conceptualize the instructions and work on them. I have also worked at the end of life care, where patients had lost hope and needed a person with empathy to feel their pain and share their sorrows. The two experiences made me develop patience and empathy traits, respectively.

Skills

The primary skills that make me an ideal candidate for the position are communication skills and active listening. Working with children made me develop the skill of active listening as I had to listen keenly to what the children had to say and ask clarification questions whenever needed. Asking for clarification and paying attention without interrupting makes me an active listener. When communicating, I use facial expressions, maintain eye contact, and use the correct tone to enhance communication. The two skills are paramount when dealing with the elderly.

Areas of Knowledge

My key areas of knowledge are advocacy and health issues among the elderly. Besides my passion and constant research in the field of elderly care, I have also taken a short course on Gerontology to learn about the challenges facing the elderly and how to deal with different challenges. I am qualified to serve as a geriatric social worker because I am not only passionate about it but also possess the knowledge, skills, and character traits that are necessary to excel in the field.

References

Ball, E. (2018). Ageism in social work education: A factor in the shortage of geriatric social workers. California State University, Long Beach.

Pandya, S. P. (2021). Geriatric Social Workers in Adult Day Care Facilities: Meditation, Worker Resilience, and Job Satisfaction. Health & Social Work, 45(4), 259-267. Web.

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Character Traits

Skills

Areas of Knowledge

References

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