"This book is designed to aid therapists and trained group facilitators who conduct discussion groups for geriatric clients. It offers 85 exercises to broaden group topics relevant to aging. Some of the exercises have been updated from those that appeared in the author's earlier publication, Group Work With Elders. Many are brand new. These exercises combine the important geriatric therapy techniques of Reminiscence, Validation, and Remotivation to energize group discussion and foster renewal of hope."--Publisher.

Beginning with an overview of the changing world of aging, this book goes on to address practical principles and guidelines for group work.

This book is designed as a practical guide for experienced practitioners who wish to improve their skills in working with groups of older adults, and as a primer for students who want to learn how to do groupwork. The book offers an introduction to this form of clinical intervention with the elderly population. It examines the particular issues which arise in treating older adults and provides many case examples of the varieties of experience a clinician can expect to face. groupwork skills are modified with working with the elderly. In this section, the author discusses issues regarding effectiveness and efficiency, what works with older adults and what does not, and explores the skills necessary to facilitate therapeutic group dynamics, to successfully lead a group, and to carry a group through all of its stages. The second part explores the more specific skills required with the different kinds of groups used with older adults, including support groups, therapy groups, social, recreational and educational groups, and advocacy groups.

Social isolation and loneliness are serious yet underappreciated public health risks that affect a significant portion of the older adult population. Approximately one-quarter of community-dwelling Americans aged 65 and older are considered to be socially isolated, and a significant proportion of adults in the United States report feeling lonely. People who are 50 years of age or older are more likely to experience many of the risk factors that can cause or exacerbate social isolation or loneliness, such as living alone, the loss of family or friends, chronic illness, and sensory impairments. Over a life course, social isolation and loneliness may be episodic or chronic, depending upon an individual's circumstances and perceptions. A substantial body of evidence demonstrates that social isolation presents a major risk for premature mortality, comparable to other risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, or obesity. As older adults are particularly high-volume and high-frequency users of the health care system, there is an opportunity for health care professionals to identify, prevent, and mitigate the adverse health impacts of social isolation and loneliness in older adults. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults summarizes the evidence base and explores how social isolation and loneliness affect health and quality of life in adults aged 50 and older, particularly among low income, underserved, and vulnerable populations. This report makes recommendations specifically for clinical settings of health care to identify those who suffer the resultant negative health impacts of social isolation and loneliness and target interventions to improve their social conditions. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults considers clinical tools and methodologies, better education and training for the health care workforce, and dissemination and implementation that will be important for translating research into practice, especially as the evidence base for effective interventions continues to flourish.

The practical ideas Kathie Erwin imparts in this second edition help mental health professionals working with elderly populations to create an interactive, multi-modal program that addresses the issues and needs elders have, divided into holistic contexts of mind, body, society, and spirituality.

Get a wealth of information about the theory and practice of social work with older adults, their families, and their caregivers! Although there is a considerable amount of writing on both group work and social work with the elderly, there is surprisingly little about applying this practice method to this specific age group. Group Work and Aging: Issues in Practice, Research, and Education fills this gap by presenting penetrating articles about a mutual aid approach to working with diverse groups of older adults with varied needs. Respected experts and gifted researchers provide case studies, practice examples, and explanation of theory to illustrate this practice method with aging adults, their families, and their caregivers. Group Work and Aging: Issues in Practice, Research, and Education discusses in-depth information on group work with gay and lesbian elders, caregivers, elders with Alzheimer’s disease, service providers, special populations such as Vietnamese and Latino/a elders, and provides information on the use of expressive therapies like art, drama, and dance. Each well-referenced chapter presents high quality, up-to-date social group work practice strategies to prepare practitioners for the needs of the growing population of elderly in the near future. Group Work and Aging: Issues in Practice, Research, and Education discusses: the adaptation of group work practice approaches when working with older group members the use of a Record of Service as an analytical tool in group work with aging lesbians a chronicle of a student’s field placement at a drop-in center for homeless senior citizens the sociocultural reality of the Asian immigrant elderly residential substance abuse treatment for older adults mutual aid groups for older persons with mental illness the relationship between caregiver support groups and the marker framework of family caregiving telephone caregiver support groups group work interventions with elderly parents of adults with severe mental illness a program for the development and implementation of an intergenerational singing group support groups as an effective therapy at end-of-life the use of a mutual aid group with home attendants and much more! Group Work and Aging: Issues in Practice, Research, and Education reveals the latest examples of good group work practice with aging adults and their support systems, perfect for practitioners, educators, and anyone interested in and/or work with older adults.