Nancy P. Kropf

Is Field a Hard Hat Area? A Study of Violence in Field Placements

Although human service professionals increasingly are the victims of violence, no data exist on the prevalence of violence in the undergraduate field setting, and only one study has addressed the incidence of violence at the graduate level. To fill this gap in the research, the authors surveyed 121 social work students and 96 field instructors at the undergraduate and graduate levels to identify safety issues, compare incidents of violence, and to examine agency policies on violence prevention and management. Findings revealed that undergraduate and graduate students experienced verbal abuse, as well as physical violence. Field instructors were verbally abused or threatened by clients, but did not report any verbal abuse by students; they also reported physical assaults by clients and paraprofessionals. Students reported that, although they received some classroom instruction on safety issues in practice, agencies used as practicum sites often did not have policies on violence or did not inform students o...

Formal and informal support for older adults with severe mental illness

Objectives: This study sought to examine the combination of formal and informal services supplied to older adults with severe mental illness, to assess the adequacy of services received, and to determine factors predictive of formal and informal service provision. Methods: A cross-sectional research design was employed. Seventy-five older adults diagnosed with a SMI were recruited through local community mental health center. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews using the Camberwell Assessment of Needs for the Elderly. Results: Clients most frequently received services from formal sources for psychiatric distress, physical health, information, and dangerous behavior needs while informal sources provided the greatest amount of assistance for self-care, psychiatric distress, and money management needs. Appropriate assistance was most often not provided for benefits, sight/hearing, and incontinence. Formal services were predicted by group residence and dangerous behavior, physical illness, medication, and daily activity needs. Assistance from informal sources was predicted by private residence, self-care, mobility, and money management needs. Discussion: While formal and informal sources provided adequate services for certain client needs, over 70% of the clients did not receive the correct type of help for some of their needs. Greater communication between mental health care staff and informal caregivers, and the integration of aging network services, is essential for the adequate provision of care to older severely mentally ill (SMI) adults. Education and greater linkages among care providers are necessary so that all service providers are aware of and are able to appropriately respond to the complex multi-level needs experienced by older SMI adults.

Leisure Activity, Ethnic Preservation, and Cultural Integration of Older Korean Americans

Abstract For immigrant groups, leisure activity has the potential both to increase familiarity with a new culture and to preserve cultural history and identity. Using a qualitative case study design, this research analyzed leisure activities of six older Korean Americans to determine both personal and cultural meanings of leisure. From a personal perspective, leisure was used to create two effects for the older adults: Ki-Bun-Chun-Whan, which is the experience of a shift in emotional atmosphere as a result of engaging in activities; and self-development activities, which provide the older adults with opportunities for learning or growth. Cultural meanings of leisure activities included the re-creation of Koreanness and the reliance on familiar patterns to create a sense of security in a still-strange land. Thus, with the individuals studied in this investigation, leisure activities were used more often for continuity and ethnic preservation than for cultural integration. Social workers can use leisure activities as avenues to increase knowledge and social participation, but they should also take into account the need to preserve cultural and collective identity in older immigrants.

Grandparents as Family Caregivers: Lessons for Intergenerational Education

The number of grandparents who have responsibility for raising grandchildren has increased dramatically over the past several decades. From an educational perspective, content on custodial grandparents can promote an increased interest in, and understanding of the complexities of aging, by stressing the intergenerational aspects of this family form. This paper describes the growing population of custodial grandparents, and the larger socio-environmental contexts of these families. In addition, it highlights instructional approaches for including content on grandparent-headed families within didactic and experimental courses.

THE STATUS OF GERONTOLOGY IN BACCALAUREATE SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION

Labor force projections indicate that additional personnel will be needed to serve the growing number of older people. However, the current number of social workers trained in gerontology is inadequate, and estimates suggest that the gap between supply and demand of trained practitioners will continue to increase. Since many of the available positions are appropriate for baccalaureate‐level practitioners, the Virginia‐Louisiana Curriculum Project conducted research on the current status of gerontology in undergraduate education to determine if students are adequately prepared to work with the elderly. Findings in the area of curriculum, faculty expertise, and program / university resources suggest that many programs do not have sufficient content and educational resources related to older persons.

Pathways into Caregiving for Rural Custodial Grandparents

ABSTRACT Although one-quarter (25%) of custodial grandparents live in rural areas, less is known about these families than their urban counterparts. This qualitative study was conducted to determine pathways into care with rural families; that is, the reasons and process into custodial grandparenting roles. Based upon interviews with fourteen grandparents, three major pathways were identified. The most common was co-residential where the parent generation exited a multi-generational household. In the incremental pathway, grandparents had attempted multiple strategies with the culmination of taking physical custody of the grandchildren. A final pathway, immediate care, was typically the result of a family crisis situation. Needs and challenges for custodial grandparents differ depending upon their unique pathway into this caregiving role.

Persons with Mental Retardation: A Forgotten Minority in Education

Persons with mental retardation are a vulnerable population with multiple needs and an important minority group that has suffered from a variety of discriminatory practices. Yet, the social work education currently does not have an educational standard for including this population in the curriculum. Students of social work—future social workers—can make important social service contributions to this special population, but only if the students are educated about this group. This article presents a curriculum infusion model for use in the Human Behavior and the Social Environment (HBSE) sequence. This model, which is efficient and easy to implement, provides content about persons with mental retardation from a micro and a macro perspective. Although inclusion of content on this population in the HBSE sequence will provide basic knowledge about mental retardation, the author recommends that such content be included in all of the foundation sequences.

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: A Diverse Population

Abstract The number of grandparents who are raising grandchildren has risen dramatically as the result of several social trends. Within this article, diversity aspects of this population are explored including characteristics of the grandparents and grandchildren. In addition, support groups, the primary intervention for custodial grandparents, are overviewed with specific attention to models that have relevance for subpopulations of care providers. Finally, child welfare and kinship care policies are examined and critiqued from a diversity perspective.

Sexual Harassment Experiences and Their Psychological Correlates Among a Diverse Sample of College Women

This study explored the relationship between sexual victimization and psychological outcomes in two samples of a total of 410 college women in two southern states, as well as racial differences in the prevalence of and responses to sexual harassment experiences. It found an alarmingly high rate of sexual victimization among both the Black and the White students. Internalized shame was a useful construct for understanding the relationship between sexual harassment and potential psychological correlates. The findings shed light on the ways in which college women’s academic success and psychological well-being can be undermined by sexual harassment.

Kinship Care in Rural Georgia Communities: Responding to Needs and Challenges of Grandparent Caregivers

In 2005, the Georgia Division of Aging Services initiated the Kinship Care Program to provide services to grandparents raising grandchildren throughout Georgias 12 regional Area Agencies on Aging. Many of the grandparents who receive Division of Aging Services services reside in rural communities. To assess the impact of the program among rural grandparents and learn more about their needs, an evaluation study was conducted with 30 grandparents in four rural Kinship Care Program sites around Georgia. Analysis of focus group and questionnaire data indicated that grandparents had concerns about their own health and the health of their grandchildren and faced many challenges related to child rearing. Challenges included limited services for children with disabilities, lack of assistance with permanency planning and other legal issues related to adoption, and insensitive service providers. The data showed that grandparents also were plagued with feelings of isolation and marginalization within the community. Many grandparents reported that the most beneficial service they received from the Kinship Care program was the psychological support and information exchange provided by support groups. Barriers to support group participation, such as lack of transportation and child care services and lack of options for intergenerational activities were identified as service gaps. This paper presents findings from this evaluation. Included are implications for service programs targeting rural grandparents raising grandchildren and recommendations for improving service delivery to this group of older adults.