See attached document for ALL of the requirements and the original posts. Respond to the colleagues posts in one of the following ways: · From a strength's perspective, critique your colleague's appro
SOCW 6210 Week 6 discussion post responses.
Respond to the colleagues posts in one of the following ways:
From a strength's perspective, critique your colleague's approach to addressing Francine's case. Provide support for your critique.
Critique your colleague's strategy for applying knowledge of the aging process to work with older clients. Discuss how cultural, ethnic, and societal influences might affect the application of this strategy.
At least one reference and citation is required in each post.
SR’s post states the following:Top of Form
As a group, LGBT older adults experience unique economic and health disparities. LGBT older adults may disproportionately be affected by poverty and physical and mental health conditions due to a lifetime of unique stressors associated with being a minority and may be more vulnerable to neglect and mistreatment in aging care facilities (American, 2019). In the case of Francine (Plummer, 2014) she is a 70-year-old Catholic woman, who personally identifies as a lesbian. She never felt comfortable actually “coming out” due to the environment she grew up in. Both in the era, she grew up in and the strict Catholic belief she was raised in is against homosexual nature she felt it wasn’t appropriate to discuss. As she got older and experienced the loss of her partner, she felt those who cared about her felt she should not mourn her loss so hard. It could have been due to her never admitting who her partner really was, or the common mindset of those around her. It could affect how she viewed her life and what she should do as an older adult in her sexual life.
Environmental factors influence the aging process. Being physically and mentally active tends to slow down the aging process. Inactivity speeds it up. A positive outlook (positive thinking) tends to slow down the aging process. Insecurity, the lack of someone to talk to, negative thinking, and being in a strange environment tend to accelerate the aging process (Zastrow, 2016). In Francine’s case, the loss of her loved one and retirement has affected her outlook. She feels sad and isolated, it has taken its toll and that can progress the effects of ages. Once she gained a support system she was able to increase her activity and her mental stability changed.
As a worker, I would use the understanding that environmental factors and personal views can affect a client and manifest as an aging process. I would help Francine by using cognitive reasoning to help her accept her life and make changes that make her happy. While morning her loved one is appropriate, helping herself is as well.
The notion that there is a general intellectual decline in old age is largely incorrect. Most intellectual abilities hold up well with age. While older people show a decline in performance on IQ tests, their actual intellectual competence may not be declining (Zastrow, 2016). A strategy I might use in applying my knowledge of the aging process in social work practice with older clients would be to not assume that clients are any different from other clients. Because a person is biologically considered in the late adulthood category does not mean that they are any different mentally that they were 40 years ago. Allowing the client to express themselves and what their goals are is another strategy I would use. Letting the client express themselves would give a better concept of how to approach clients to care plan.
References
American Psychological Association (2019). Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Aging. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/aging
Plummer, S. -B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. M. (Eds.). (2014). Social work case studies: Foundation year. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. Working With the Aging: The Case of Francine. Retrieved from https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781624580062/cfi/6/56!/4/2/4@0:0
Zastrow, C. H., & Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2016). Understanding human behavior and the social environment (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. Chapter 14, Biological Aspects of Later Adulthood. Retrieved from https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781337342063/cfi/6/40!/4/12/4/16/10/2@0:100
CG’s Post states the following
"Aging is an individual process that occurs at different rates in different people, and sociopsychological factors may retard or accelerate the physiological changes" (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman,2016). In the case of Francine, her lack of support influenced her aging process. At the age of 70 years old, Francine is dealing with depressing, loneliness, and a possible alcohol relapse after the death of her partner (Plummer, Makris & Brocksen, 2014). Francine's family and friends are unaware of her romantic relationship with her partner, therefore, no one understood the impact the death of her partner had on Francine. As a social worker helping Francine, the best way to assist Francine is to access her unhealthy patterns she is using to cope with the death of her partner. An additional strategy, I would recommend to assist Francine is the Strength based approach. "Francine came to counseling with several considerable strengths, including a capacity to form intimate relationships, a successful work history, a history of having maintained her sobriety in the past for many years, as well as insight into the factors that had contributed to her current difficulties (Plummer, Makris & Brocksen, 2014). As a social worker, it is best to build rapport with clients in order to discover the clients. With this method, the process of the rapport is important in order to locate the most beneficial goals with this particular client.
References:
Zastrow, C. H., & Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2016). Understanding human behavior and the social environment (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Plummer, S. -B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. M. (Eds.). (2014). Social work case studies: Foundation year. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].
AS’s post states the following:
The process of aging involves physical changes that take place when an individual reaches a later adulthood. In the case of Francine, a 70 year old retired librarian, that is seeking counseling to address several concerns. Francine reports experiencing isolation and expressed feelings of loneliness after losing her partner of 30 years (Plummer, Makris & Brocksen, 2014). The existing factors that contribute to Francine’s lack of social and physical engagement may considerably impact and “accelerate” her aging process (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2016). In working with Francine, I would apply my knowledge of the aging process by implementing empowering strategies that promotes positive self-identity. Empowering Francine to feel free within, acknowledgement of her own sexual orientation is essential for effective treatment. An additional strategy I might apply as a social worker when working with older individuals in general would be to change society’s perception of aging and “emphasize the positive aspects” (Nelson, 2016) through education. As a social worker I would advocate to change the stigma’s and negative stereotypes associated with growing older by promoting positive images through commercials and other sources of social media. I would utilize this strategy to help improve the quality of life in older adults.
Zastrow, C. H., & Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2016). Understanding human behavior and the social environment (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Plummer, S. -B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. M. (Eds.). (2014). Social work case studies: Foundation year. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].
Nelson, T. D. (2016). Promoting healthy aging by confronting ageism. American Psychologist, 71(4), 276–282.
