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Innessa Manning said that her internship at the Bedford, Massachusetts, Council on Aging 再次重申了她毕业后要照顾老年人的决定 Boston College School of Social Work next year.
From September to May, Manning helped aging adults secure basic needs; checked in with older individuals who were recovering from falls; and co-led a support group for those who were struggling to control clutter in their homes.
Now she has a clear vision for her future.
“这次经历巩固了我想和老年人一起工作的想法,” said Manning, a final-year student in the four-year M.S.W. program at BCSSW. “我认为这是一个巨大的需求，并不是很多社会工作者都在做的事情.”
曼宁得到了这份实习工作，这要归功于BCSSW的年度尖峰电子游戏正规平台员老龄化项目, 哪些课程能帮助学生为65岁及以上老年人的健康和福祉做好准备.
Launched in 2019, the program requires fellows to complete coursework, field placements, and community service projects focused on the nation’s fastest growing segment of the population.
The deadline to apply 2024-2025学年奖学金项目的截止日期是6月21日星期五.
Christina Matz, an associate professor who runs the program, 说，电子游戏正规平台员在与老年人一起工作的能力方面增加了信心, advocate for their needs, and apply their learning in real-world settings.
曼宁(inessa Manning)在贝德福德老龄化委员会(Bedford Council on Aging)完成了一个体验式学习机会，这是她获得奖学金的一部分. Courtesy photo.
这个项目现在可能比以往任何时候都更重要，因为美国老年人的数量正在增加.S. continues to rise 而从事老年学专业的社会工作者的数量 continues to shrink.
“老年社会工作专业的未来取决于我们当前和未来几代的领导者，他们的远见和动力将激励更多的学生加入这个行业，并在未来几年制定老年护理政策和实践。,” said Matz, who directs the Center on Aging & Work at BC. “这个项目让学生有机会学习和探索老年学的职业选择和主题，同时在各种不同的环境中与老年人一起工作.”
Over the past five years, 30多名电子游戏正规平台员在医院完成了实习, retirement communities, labs, 以及其他致力于改善老年人生活质量的场所. Their accomplishments have included assessing the psychological health of veterans, comforting cancer patients, and working with clients to preserve their independence.
As part of a community service project last year, one fellow designed a quilt 纪念对BCSSW学生产生积极影响的老年人. 另一位电子游戏正规平台员创建了一系列信息会议，以帮助提高公众对痴呆症的认识, a condition that will likely affect nearly 13 million Americans by 2050.
This spring, 曼宁与电子游戏正规平台员莎拉·麦克尔罗伊(Sarah McElroy)和亨利·莫切(Henry Moche)合作，与该组织合作举办了两个研讨会 Massachusetts Coalition to Build Community and End Loneliness. As part of the first workshop, 联盟领导人桑德拉·哈里斯讨论了老年人社会孤立的危险, saying it puts them at increased risk for depression, anxiety, and suicide.
曼宁说，她已经充分利用了她与哈里斯的合作关系，为即将到来的联盟实习做好准备. Starting next fall, 她计划与她一起工作，以确保所有马萨诸塞州居民都能感受到与社区的联系，并享有强烈的社会健康感.
自2019年以来，许多最后一年的电子游戏正规平台员在他们的实地机构主持了综合研讨会, exposing their peers to the range of career paths in aging. One of Manning’s peers gave a tour of the 2Life independent housing community for older adults in Brighton, Massachusetts. 另一个人描述了在急诊室做社会工作者是什么感觉 Tufts Medical Center. A third, who worked for Boston Healthcare for the Homeless, delved into the complexities of Social Security and Medicare.
马茨将综合研讨会描述为奖学金的“最大好处”, which includes $3,000 stipends through the support of the Spier Family Foundation.
“Whenever possible, 这些都是在机构现场进行的，这样学生们就可以接触到各种各样的工作，这些工作可以在老年社会工作领域完成,” she said.
克里斯蒂娜·马茨(Christina Matz)是Spier电子游戏正规平台员老龄化项目的负责人.
In addition to completing an internship in aging, fellows must agree to take at least one of BCSSW’s three courses in aging: Practice in Health and Mental Health Settings with Older Adults; Policy for an Aging Society; and Dying, Grief, and Bereavement.
These courses, taken as a whole, 训练学生处理接触老年人的特殊挑战, 尽管服务提供者几乎无处不在，但通常不可见的客户群体.
A report 美国老龄化管理局的一项电子游戏正规平台发现，生活在美国的六分之一以上的人.S. were 65 or older in 2020. 到2040年，65岁及以上的人口将接近8100万，是2000年的两倍多. And over 10,000 people turn 65 every day.
曼宁说，个人经历影响了她决定学习社会工作，作为支持老年人的一种手段. After holding down a career in finance for 20 years, she quit her job in 2013 to care for her mother, who was living with Alzheimer’s.
曼宁很快意识到应对身体状况是多么困难, emotional, 并最终选择在BCSSW注册，以更深入地了解如何解决像她母亲这样的老年人面临的独特挑战.
“Just navigating that with her made me realize how difficult it is, not just from an emotional level, but from a systems level as well,” said Manning, who took care of her mother until she died in 2018 at age 77. “所有不同的医疗服务提供者，所有不同的医疗系统，都要花很多钱. And just trying to navigate that was really challenging.”
曼宁建议其他学生考虑参加斯皮尔老年电子游戏正规平台员项目, 尤其是那些有兴趣帮助老年人继续参与社会活动的人. “与老年人一起工作是非常重要的工作，因为我们总有一天都会到达那里,” she said. “It’s up to us to forge the path ahead.”
