The purpose of this blog is to explain how the intervention might be addressed during field education experience. Vulnerable and diverse elderly clients of an adult day care center may need short-term crisis interventions or long-term counseling services provided by the agency. In social work practice, interventions are developed to resolve specific social problems and respond to the client’s unique needs considering the combination of micro and macro factors.
Social problems addressed by the agency impact social workers’ responses and relevant interventions. Garthwait (2017) defines a social problem as a “social condition that negatively impacts the social functioning of individuals or communities” (p. 88). A social problem can also be viewed as a situation that undermines the values, welfare, or well-being of certain social groups. Agencies and social workers need to be flexible and modify their services and interventions according to the changes in social problems their clients face (Garthwait, 2017). Social conditions, or factual reality, existing in a society precede social problems, while social stressors (traumatic events, crises) affecting individuals, groups, and communities, transform social conditions into social problems. It should be noted that social problems may exist in clusters interconnected in complex ways and increasing the client’s vulnerability. Thus, social services and interventions offered by the agency should work on micro and macro levels and aim at social problem clusters to decrease the client’s vulnerability and achieve positive outcomes.
Vatsalya Adult Daycare Center works with the social problems of physical and mental disability, discrimination (ageism, cultural stereotyping), abuse (physical, psychological, financial), and neglect. The agency’s social workers should provide appropriate interventions to restore senior clients’ social functioning by helping them meet basic needs, participate in community life, and preserve autonomy, confidence, and self-determination. Micro-level interventions can be developed based on the assessment of the client’s social problems, social support, and social assets, while macro-level interventions target social policies affecting communities (Garthwait, 2017). For instance, a senior client experiencing psychological abuse might benefit from peer support groups restoring her emotional well-being and self-worth, while advocacy services for elderly abuse victims can serve as macro-level interventions. Therefore, strengths in social functioning, or social assets and clusters, should be taken into consideration because they allow the social worker to design effective interventions by enabling the positive aspects of the client’s social environment.
Appropriate intervention is the foundation of effective social work practice. The social worker should improve the client’s well-being and provide relevant interventions based on continuous assessment (Laureate Education, 2013). Interventions for the diverse elderly population should involve sensitivity to senior clients and identification of stereotypes about older adults (Kirst-Ashman & Hull, 2018). Age groups should be distinguished within the population to understand the life experiences of different clients. Additionally, sensitivity can be addressed by respecting the unique personality and features of an individual, as well as the impact of gender and cultural background on the aging process. Finally, developmental characteristics of late adulthood should be identified by the social worker to develop sensitive interventions and empower senior clients.
In conclusion, effective interventions require the social worker and the agency to address underlying social problems or clusters negatively affecting the well-being and social functioning of individuals and groups. Considering the combination of micro-and macro-level factors, the social worker can develop relevant interventions to decrease the client’s vulnerability and lead to favorable outcomes. Based on the social problems of the seniors at Vatsalya, appropriate interventions of the agency’s social workers should respect social assets and integrate sensitivity to empower vulnerable elderly clients.
References
Garthwait, C. L. (2017). The social work practicum: A guide and workbook for students (7th ed.). Pearson.
Kirst-Ashman, K. K., & Hull, G. H., Jr. (2018). Understanding generalist practice (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Laureate Education (Producer). (2013). Intervention [Audio file].