The CSWE Annual Program Meeting (APM) was held in Philadelphia from October 30 to November 2, 2008. The Gero-Ed Track, one of the 38 APM Tracks, covered issues related to aging and intergenerational social work research, policy, education and practice. For more information on the CSWE APM, please visit the Annual Program Meeting Directory Page on the CSWE Web site.

Gero-Ed Track Kick-Off

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Robert B. Hudson
"Health Care: Policy Challenges and Practice Implications"

Robert Hudson, professor and chair of the Department of Social Welfare Policy at Boston University School of Social Work, spoke movingly to a large crowd on the critical health care issues that both older Americans and those who provide services to them will confront in the coming years.

A full recap of Hudson's speech is available at the CSWE 2008 APM Speaker Highlights page. You can also read a full overview and biography of Hudson.

In conjunction with the keynote speech, a Hot Topic Panel Session featured a wide variety of speakers discussing the intersection of social work, health care, and aging adults. Grace Christ of Columbia University, Michelle Putnam of Simmons College, Patricia Volland of the New York Academy of Medicine, and Joan Weiss of the Health Resources and Services Administration all took part in this engaging conversation. Visit the CSWE Recap page for photos.

GEC/AGE-SW Reception

As part of a long collaboration with the Association for Gerontology in Social Work (AGE-SW), the Gero-Ed Center sponsored a reception to celebrate and reconnect with colleages. Nancy Hooyman, co-principal investigator of the Gero-Ed Center, announced the winners of the Best Practice Awards for Gerontological Curricular Innovation. The University of Montana School of Social Work and the West Chester University of Pennsylvania Undergraduate School of Social Work both received awards for 2008.

Sherry Cummings, president of AGE-SW, announced the winners of the 2008 Rosen Awards. For names of winners and abstracts, visit the Rosen Award page.

Visit the CSWE Recap page for photos of the winners.

Caregiving Special Session

The issue of how social workers and other professionals can support informal caregivers is a hot topic, and the panel presenters brought insight and research to the Caregiving Special Session. Ashley Brooks-Danso of the Alzheimer's Association, JoAnn Damron-Rodriguez of the University of California, Los Angeles, Rhonda Montgomery of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Patricia Volland of the New York Academy of Medicine all brought their expertise to an excellent session. See the CSWE Recap page for photos.

For more information on how social workers and nurses have collaborated to improve the knowledge and skills available to professionals supporting caregivers, visit the Gero-Ed Center Caregiving Initiative page. The full text of the report, State of the Science: Professional Partners Supporting Family Caregiving, published through the Journal of Social Work Education and the American Journal of Nursing, is available online free of charge.

Film Festival

The third annual Gero-Ed Center Film Festival once again drew crowds eager to see the numerous educational films that deal with social work and aging. For more information on the films shown, please download the flyer (PDF).

General CSWE 2008 APM Highlights

For more details and photographs from the 2008 CSWE APM, visit the CSWE APM home page.