Reflections on Spirituality and Gero Social Work

The seeds of my interests in gero-social work and spirituality were planted in my childhood. Having the luxury of growing up near my paternal grandparents’ dairy farm and my maternal grandparents’ family business, I was constantly involved in the lives of both grandparents. I found joy and satisfaction working side by side with these heroic figures, learning how to milk a cow and gather chicken eggs and how to stock shelves and serve the customer with hospitality and respect. The legacy my grandparents provided can be found today in the handmade quilt both of my grandmothers stitched and in the deep spiritual values that inform my vocation as a gero-social worker.

It is my perspective that caring for our aging populations and teaching those who will be providing this care requires a “shift from a focus on the etiology of disease to the etiology of health” (Ungar, 2005, p. xvi). Paying attention to strengths in others is “not the cheerful disregard of one’s difficult and traumatic life experiences; neither is it the naïve discounting of life’s pains. It is, rather, the ability to bear up in spite of these ordeals.” (Saleeby, 1997, p. 9) Teaching students how to surface what aging men and women perceive as strengths in addressing their multiple challenges may illuminate what is sometimes ignored - that our elders possess a wealth of knowledge, skills and values embedded in their spiritual and religious beliefs regarding what keeps them resilient amidst adverse environmental crises.

I integrate spiritually-sensitive social work in my MSW practice courses by inviting older persons to class to tell their stories of spiritual strengths and religious resources that are invaluable in old age. We also visit a convent of older Catholic religious women, dine with them, tour their facilities and learn about their legacy of social services. Together, we talk about stages of faith development and how their faith and spiritual journeys informed their lives of service. As a class, we process what are the implications for practice, policy development and research, and I expose students to the rapidly expanding literature that combines social work and spirituality issues.(Canda, Nakashima, Burgess, Russel, Barfield, 2003; Scales, Wolfer, Sherwood, Garland, Hugen, Pittman, 2002; Van Hook, Hugen, Aguilar, 2001).

There are also many ways I personally practice as a spiritually-sensitive gero-social worker. Currently, I am traveling around the state of Missouri instructing social workers with the skills, knowledge and values needed to provide spiritually-sensitive social work assessment and services for aging populations. My current dissertation explores the effects of childhood sexual abuse in old age and the role of spirituality in addressing these effects. I continue to find joy and meaning in my career, realizing that I too will someday know the challenges and gifts of old age.

Gary Behrman, MSW, PhD candidate at SUNY-Albany is the Associate Dean of the Graduate School at Saint Louis University, and also teaches in the School of Social Work.

References

Canda, E., Nakashima, M., Burgess, V., Russel, R., Barfield, S. (2003). Spiritual diversity and social work: A comprehensive bibliography with annotations. 2nd Edition. Alexandria, VA: Council on Social Work Education

Saleebey, D. (Ed.) (1997). 2nd Edition The strength’s perspective in social work practice. New York: Longman.

Scales, T., Wolfer, T., Sherwood, D., Garland, D., Hugen, B., Pittman, S. (2002). Spirituality and religion in social work practice. Alexandria, VA: Council on Social Work Education

Ungar, M. & Teram, E. (2005). Qualitative resilience research. In: Ungar, M. (Ed.). 2005. Handbook for working with children and youth: Pathways to resilience across cultures and contexts. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publication.

Van Hook, M., Hugen, B., Aguilar, M. (2001). Spirituality within religious traditions in social work practice. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole