2008 National Careers in Aging Week

Next week, April 13-19, is the 2008 Careers in Aging Week, sponsored by the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) and the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE). This annual event is intended to bring greater awareness and visibility to the wide-ranging career opportunities in gerontological practice and aging research.

The following social work programs have shared with us their Careers in Aging activities:

The Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service along with the New York State Society on Aging will be hosting an event—Preparing for a Career in Aging: A Video and Discussion—on Monday, April 14 at the Manhattan campus of Fordham University. Challenges and rewards in learning to work with older adults will be discussed from the point of view of students and supervisors in field practica. The video Becoming a social worker with older adults: Real students, real clients and real growth, created by Fordham faculty member Dr. Judith Ross Smith, will also be shown. A reception and networking opportunity will follow.

The Saint Louis University School of Social Work will host an Interdisciplinary Student Dinner Meeting and Discussion on Aging on Tuesday, April 15. Guest speaker Dr. John Morley, internationally known gerontological researcher, educator and clinician and Director of Geriatric Medicine at Saint Louis University, will speak about choosing aging as a vocation as well as his new book Science of Staying Young.

The Stockton's Center on Successful Aging (SCOSA) at The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey will host a variety of activities. A panel discussion on “Careers in Gerontology,” co-sponsored by Stockton’s Office of Career Services, takes place on Thursday, April 10. Graduates of the gerontology program will discuss their careers in social work, administration, non-profit agencies, physical therapy and others. The following SCOSA Events will have career components: Financial Literacy and Aging, Elizabeth Elmore, Ph.D., Stockton Professor of Economics on Monday, April 14th. Before April 17th's Hesburgh Lecture, a reception will allow students to network with SCOSA's Community Advisory Board.

The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa is hosting a “Why Study Aging?” Forum on Thursday, April 10 featuring a multidisciplinary panel of faculty. The Forum will also include a brief presentation on Divided We Fail—National Health Care and Financial Security Movement. Refreshments will be served.

The University of Washington is sponsoring an April 17th panel presentation with six social workers highlighting the range of settings available to gerontological social workers. These include the new Pacific Northwest Center for Creative Aging, assisted living residencies connected with the University, health promotion programs, other community-based options, a skilled nursing facility implementing the principles of the Pioneer Network, and a life transitions program for older adults.

If you are planning events for Careers in Aging Week, share them with AGHE and GSA by e-mailing CIAW@geron.org. For more information on the 2008 Careers in Aging Week visit www.CareersInAging.com or view the 2008 brochure (PDF).

Careers in Aging Week is a joint venture of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) and the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE).