Civic Engagement and Aging: Asserting Social Work’s Public Purpose
By Jim Hinterlong

Social work has a rich tradition of providing leadership in periods of historical societal change. Population aging now presents a compelling opportunity for our profession to shape public priorities and support private choices. As policy makers, scholars, and community leaders seek innovative responses to an expanding older population, social work should ensure that a broader view of aging takes root: a view that protects the services required by frail older adults and their families yet explicitly recognizes the real and potential contributions of older adults to our families, communities, and society. This latter complementary vision is captured by work on late life productive engagement (e.g. Morrow-Howell, Hinterlong, & Sherraden, 2001), with “civic engagement” referring to efforts that tap older adults’ passions and experiences specifically to address pressing social needs. Unlike perspectives such as successful aging that suggest “how-to” strategies for aging, civic engagement advocates seek recognition and support for the wide range of voluntary social and political activities older adults (and others) undertake that impact their communities.

Finding ways to present older adults with greater opportunities for involvement makes sense. Declining public commitments to social welfare demand that we reinvigorate civic life and improve community capacity to meet growing human welfare needs. Visionary thinkers like Marc Freedman offer language and program models that coalesce social entrepreneurship and public-private partnerships around promising strategies to engage older adults toward these ends (Freedman, 2007). And the field is growing rapidly. Yet, civic engagement does not include or affect older individuals uniformly (Hinterlong & Williamson, 2006-2007). Marginalized and vulnerable older adults and communities can easily be overlooked as efforts and resources to promote and reward engagement are primarily directed toward individuals with greater human, political, and economic capital. Social work should ensure these opportunities are inclusive, voluntary, and meaningful for all older adults (Hinterlong, Morrow-Howell, & Sherraden, 2001). In short, the ongoing reinvention of aging affords gerontological social workers an opportunity to reassert the profession’s profound public purpose: promoting social justice in the face of significant change.

Since aging is a human rights issue, it is timely that social work is strengthening its gerontological capacity. Efforts to infuse curricula with aging competencies, train gerontological social workers, and stimulate aging research are critical. Yet, the prevalent concern that extended longevity will lead to a lengthened period of dementia, disease, dependency, and disengagement should not unduly influence the scope nor narrow the focus of these initiatives. Social work education should encourage the development of knowledge and skills that enable graduates to work with the large proportion of older adults who are vital, experienced, and seeking ways to be meaningfully engaged. Social workers should understand the importance of civic and productive engagement to the well-being of older persons and the reduction of disparities (Hinterlong, 2006; Hinterlong, Morrow-Howell, & Rozario, 2007). Similarly, older adults are and will increasingly become change agents within families and communities. Social workers need to be prepared to lead organizations that have the capacity to fully engage older individuals as a resource. Finally, evaluating and translating promising practices into new policy initiatives at all levels and within businesses and organizations is also important. The visibility of civic engagement during the 2005 White House Conference on Aging and within the 2006 Older Americans Act reauthorization illustrates this work is gaining traction on a broad scale. Given its recent successes in prioritizing aging, gerontological social work is well-positioned to offer continuing and necessary leadership to this emerging field. The opportunity is unprecedented and a perfect fit for our profession.

Jim Hinterlong, PhD, MSW, is an assistant professor in social work at Florida State University and a Hartford Geriatric Social Work Scholar. He is the co-director of the Live Oak Geriatric Practicum Partnership Program, and currently serves as the external evaluator for the Atlantic Philanthropies’ Civic Engagement and Ageing grantmaking in the United States.

References

Butler, R. N. (2007). The seven continents: Preparing for longevity and the triumph of survival. New York: International Longevity Center - USA.

Freedman, M. (2007). Encore: Finding work that matters in the second half of life. New York: PublicAffairs.

Hinterlong, J. (2006). Racial disparities in health among older adults: Examining the role of productive engagement. Health & Social Work, 31(4), 275-288.

Hinterlong, J., Morrow-Howell, N., & Rozario, P. (2007). Productive engagement and late life physical and mental health: Findings from a nationally-representative panel study. Research on Aging, 29(4), 348-370.

Hinterlong, J., Morrow-Howell, N., & Sherraden, M. (2001). Productive aging: Principles and perspectives. In N. Morrow-Howell, J. Hinterlong & M. Sherraden (Eds.), Productive aging: Concepts and Controversies (pp. 4-17). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Hinterlong, J., & Williamson, A. (2006-2007). The effects of civic engagement of current and future cohorts of older adults. Generations, XXX(4), 10-18.

Morrow-Howell, N., Hinterlong, J., & Sherraden, M. (Eds.). (2001). Productive aging: Concepts and challenges. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.