Susan A. Murty

Cracks in a postdisaster service delivery network

Poor linkage cracks are defined and identified empirically in a postdisaster service delivery network. These cracks exist when essential services are provided only by isolated or peripheral clusters of organizations. Network analysis is used to identify the isolated and peripheral clusters of organizations. Measures of experience in responding to disasters and service capacity are used to identify the organizations whose services are essential in the network. Cracks prevent the network from responding effectively in the aftermath of a disaster. Suggestions are made for using network analysis to identify cracks and to improve planning and coordination in all kinds of service networks.

INTERGENERATIONAL SERVICE-LEARNING IN FIVE COHORTS OF STUDENTS: IS ATTITUDE CHANGE ROBUST?

Service-learning evaluation rarely compares different cohorts of students, so it is difficult to determine whether the findings are reliable. This study compared attitudinal change in five successive cohorts of intergenerational service-learning students (n = 59) enrolled in an introductory gerontology course at a major Midwestern university. Quantitative and qualitative data were used to investigate the attitudes of students. Results indicated that only Cohorts 1 and 2 showed significant positive change at posttest in overall attitude toward the elderly. Additionally, only Cohort 1 showed significant positive change at posttest in overall attitude toward working with elders and on an “I fear getting really old” item. Content analysis of open-ended questions indicated that Cohort 1 had the highest proportion of students with positive attitudes toward their own aging at the end of the service-learning. Possible explanations for these findings and implications for evaluation of intergenerational service-learning programs are discussed.

Logic Modeling: A Tool for Teaching Practice Evaluation.

Continuing the discussion of logic models in social work education, this article describes logic modeling as a tool for teachingevaluation skills in practice, research, and policy courses. Because logic models break down an intervention or program into parts, they inform evaluators about the kind of results and evaluation data available. This allows for an evaluation plan that deals effectively with a multisystemic project and works efficiently when time and money are limited. Three different evaluation approaches are considered—resource, process, and outcome—and the two case examples from the previous article are carried over in the discussion.

Using a LISTSERV™ to develop a community of practice in end-of-life, hospice, and palliative care social work.

An e-mail discussion group (SW-PALL-EOL) connects the growing number of social workers interested in palliative and end-of-life care. The article discusses the concept of a technology supported “Community of Practice.” Using content analysis, the article shows empirically how this electronic discussion group has contributed to the growth and expansion of a Community of Practice dedicated to improving palliative and end-of-life care among social workers. Examples are provided of the topics posted by subscribers and the guidance provided by the groups facilitators. Comments indicate satisfaction with the electronic discussion group.

Ethics and Cultural Competence in Research with Battered Immigrant Latina Women

This article addresses key issues in ethical and culturally competent research with battered immigrant Latinas. The discussion centers on the importance of having an understanding of the realities of the population studied in a research project as well as a commitment to engage in partnership and collaboration with the communities the participants represent. The objective of this article is to conceptualize how domestic violence should be assessed with underserved populations such as battered immigrant women. We illustrate this approach with examples from ethnographic research on immigrant Latina women experiencing domestic violence in the United States and from oral history research conducted in Mexico.

End-of-life care as a field of practice in the social work curriculum.

Attention to end-of-life care in social work education and practice is growing. With funding from the Project on Death in America, in 2001, the University of Iowa, School of Social Work developed and implemented an End-of-Life Field of Practice. Unlike a concentration, a Field of Practice is a set of integrated courses focused on one specific area of focus. This article describes the Field of Practice, the community-based partnerships, and the curriculum that serves as a basis for training the students enrolled in this area. Strategies for other social work programs interested in developing a similar Field of Practice or specialty area in their MSW curricula are provided. These include faculty committed to the content area, comprehensive course offerings to encompass all aspects of end-of-life care, and field sites willing to help train students.

Faculty and Community Partners in Gerontological Curriculum Enrichment

This study examined outcomes for faculty and community partners of a gerontological curriculum enrichment effort at a midwestern state university. The study was supported by the John A. Hartford Foundation. Faculty from three academic centers around the state were involved in revising the foundation (core) curriculum. Community practitioners from hospitals, elder services agencies, nursing homes, and hospice—along with community elders—served on an advisory board. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected to assess outcomes of the project. Findings indicate that faculty strongly supported the goal of curriculum enrichment, would continue to incorporate aging content into their courses, felt that project resources were helpful, and that the project had strengthened the curriculum. Advisory board members said their work would be used to improve social work practice in aging, the project had resulted in tangible outcomes and products, and monthly meetings were applicable to their work. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Encouraging Community in a Continuing Care Retirement Community

I am pleased that this journal has focused interest on the role of community in aging in place. One way to keep people in community is to make sure that they can stay in their own homes as they age, remaining part of their neighborhoods and communities. However, I think that we also need to give attention to community among older people who have chosen to move into retirement communities. Community is much more than a population in a geographical location. McMillan and Chavis (1986) describe a sense of community as “a feeling ... of belonging, a feeling that members matter to one another and to the group, and a shared faith that members’ needs will be met through their commitment to be together” (McMillan & Chavis, 1986, p. 9). In addition, members of a community may have a shared emotional connection, a belief that members have shared and will share history, common places, time together, and similar experiences. Building community is a process of connecting individuals and groups to maximize their sense of community, their solidarity, and their belief that they can work with others to meet their needs. According to Kretzman and McKnight (1993), every community has assets beginning with the “gifts, skills, and capacities of the community’s residents” (p. 6). I am a retired professor of social work and I have recently moved into a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) in North Carolina. I have been sharing ideas with the social worker and navigator for social services at this CCRC. A CCRC is a type of retirement community where older people live independently and where additional services, including home care, assisted living, and skilled nursing care, are provided in a campus setting. Typically, elders move into a CCRC while still living independently, with few health risks or health-care needs, and remain there until end of life. As they age and medical needs change, the level of nursing care and service increases in response (CCRC Task Force, 2010). There is considerable literature concerning the important contribution that social connections and community make to quality of life for aging adults including numerous articles published in this journal (Alley, Liebig, Pynoos, Banerjee, & Choi, 2007; McDonough & Davitt, 2011)). Neighborhood companionship contributes to a sense of social cohesion and JOURNAL OF GERONTOLOGICAL SOCIAL WORK 2017, VOL. 60, NO. 1, 3–6 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01634372.2016.1267673

Outcome Findings of an Undergraduate Certificate Program in Cultural Competency

ABSTRACT In 2010 a Midwestern School of Social Work developed a certificate program named “Critical Cultural Competence” to supplement existing coursework in support of culturally competent practice among graduating bachelor’s in social work (BSW) students. This certificate program was popular among social work students and was made available to undergraduate students across the university. Outcome findings from the first four cohorts of students who completed the certificate between 2012 and 2015 show that they made significant positive gains in their appreciation of differences among others and a greater desire to interact with others who are different from themselves. Both the coursework and the study-abroad experiences contributed to these significant differences. At the end of the two-year program, students better understood the meaning of cultural competence and the experience of it as a “journey” rather than a competency that can be achieved.

No Safe Place to Hide

People in the United States who choose to live in urban or suburban environments retain nostalgic and rosy views of rural life. They imagine small towns and rural areas as places where neighbors are friendly and helpful, where families are close and caring, and where children can grow up without witnessing violence. Unfortunately, although rural communities have many postive characteristics, they are not immune to the types of violence that threaten the peace of urban and suburban communities. In particular, family violence is a serious problem in rural areas just as it is in urban areas. This chapter examines the problems of spouse abuse, child abuse, and elder abuse in rural areas, and the rural services available for families who are affected by these types of violence. The emphasis of the chapter is on spouse abuse and violence against women, but the occurrence of the other forms of family violence is discussed as they relate to the overall theme of family violence.