This accessible book takes a unique person-centred approach to working with older people and provides an introduction to the legislation, policy, theory and research needed by social workers. The authors explore the experience of being an older person and how practitioners can work to make positive differences to older people's lives. In addition, the book: Goes beyond the mechanistic care management approaches to social work and encourages the reader to see older people holistically Features case studies and exercises to assist readers in reflecting on their practice Examines a range of contexts and perspectives, including sexuality, spirituality, learning disabilities Encourages wider reflection on the constraints posed by organisations employing social workers and the impact on their practice Provides an up-to-date exploration of safeguarding issues The authors take into account financial constraints with regard to the care of older people and the impact of a changing demography, but remain upbeat and positive about the value of social work intervention. Social Work with Older People is relevant for students on placement in adult services or voluntary organizations and social work practitioners working with older people. Contributors: Gill Butler, Rick Fisher, Chris Gaine, David Gaylard, John Gisby, Vivienne Killner, Andrea Linell, Andy Mantell, Debbie Smallbones, Chris Smethurst, Sally Stapleton, Graham Tooth, Christine Wright

Older people are the biggest service user group for social workers and an increasing proportion of the population. In this refreshingly positive and practical textbook, Rory Lynch draws on years of practice and teaching experience to show how to achieve best social work practice with older adults. He takes a person-centred approach, which fosters respect by valuing the fact that elderly people have more lived experience than others. Exploring the key theoretical approaches and methods of intervention, this book helps social workers to identify, understand and facilitate their service users’ wishes for well-being and a fulfilling older age. Chapters are practice-driven, containing case studies drawn from a range of care settings, reflective questions and exercises. Mapping directly onto the key modules on the social work degree, this is essential reading for all student social workers, especially as they prepare to go on their practice placement. It is also valuable reading for qualified social workers. Rory Lynch is Lecturer in Social Work at Robert Gordon University.

This text fills a gap for an accessible textbook which takes a person-centred approach to working with older people by providing readers with a basic knowledge of policy, legislation, theory and research.

Person-centred practices are a key way to provide the best possible care and support for older people and help them to be active and valued members of the community. Drawing on a wealth of experience of working with older people, the authors present the 6 essential person-centred practices. Each of the practices is designed to support the individual and put what is important to and for the person at the forefront of their care. Each practice has been tailored so that older people can express more easily what does and does not work for them. By actively listening and making each person feel appreciated, the practices represent practical tools for frontline practitioners to form good relationships with people in their care. With supporting stories and full colour photographs to illustrate how person-centred thinking and practice is used in real-life settings, there are many examples to help practitioners to overcome challenges and to really implement positive, effective changes to care. This practical book will be a valuable resource for care staff, social workers and healthcare workers who want to learn about person-centred practices to deliver best practice care and support.

Social Work with Older People provides an authoritative and practical guide to working with older people in a range of settings. It addresses the complexities of individual work with older people, as well as work with families, groups and the wider community, and is not afraid to tackle the challenges as well as opportunities of practice in this area. The book begins by explaining the demographic changes that have led to a ‘greying’ of the general population. It goes on to discuss the diversity in experiences of ageing across society, and the range of issues which confront older people and those who wish to work proactively with them. Clear attention is paid to the processes of assessment, care planning and review, with readers encouraged to reflect on developing good practice through case studies and exercises. Although it has a strong practical emphasis, the book also stresses the value of theoretical perspectives, with insights from fields such as sociology and psychology woven throughout the book. Clear links are also made to policy guidelines and organizational standards, without losing sight of the deeper, often more complex, issues that arise when working with older people. Social Work with Older People will be essential reading for social work students and practitioners, but also for others who are interested in the development of practice with older people as citizens and service users.

This very practical book will support students to meet the requirements of the compulsory Readiness for Direct Practice assessment. Useful for social work students and lecturers alike, it takes each of the 9 domains that students are tested on, breaks them down step-by step and provides a range of interactive activities that enable them to acquire the knowledge, values and skills for practice required at this level. It offers students a foundation to the key areas of knowledge for each of the 9 domains, while also signposting them to other popular books in the Transforming Social Work Practice series for a more detailed discussion as well.

Older people are, like younger people, citizens in the communities of the nations in which they live. This book sees ageing as a life journey that incorporates a process of citizening, in which people build their identity as part of their family and community. But the social experience of illness, frailty, disability and reaching the end of life may de-citizen older people by devaluing the social identity that comes from continuing social engagement. We de-citizen older people by emphasizing dependence on services and their cost to public expenditure instead of valuing the interdependence of participation and mutual respect. This book argues that older people retain full citizenship for the whole of their lives, up to the moment of death; but what does this mean for health and social care? In this groundbreaking book, Malcolm Payne argues that social work with older people must build re-citizening practice strategies to value both the common and the special aspects of the citizenship of older people. Current models of social care and social work create dependency, rather than relying on values of participative interdependence. The failure to recognize the end of life as a crucial element in all social care and social work for older people means that the lessons learned in providing palliative and end-of-life care in healthcare have not been transferred to social care, and the priorities of end-of-life care have not been adequately encompassed in social work with older people.

Addressing the needs of older people and their carers is an essential element of both policy and practice in the fields of health and social care. Recent developments promote a partnership and empowerment model, in which the notion of 'person-centred' care figures prominently. However, what 'person-centred' care means and how it can be achieved is far from clear. Working with Older People and their Families combines extensive reviews of specialist literatures with new empirical data in an attempt at a synthesis of themes about making a reality of 'person-centred' care. Uniquely, it seeks to unite the perspectives of older people, family and professional carers in promoting a genuinely holistic approach to the challenges of an ageing society. Working with Older People and their Families is recommended reading for students on health related courses such as nursing, medicine and the therapies. It is also of relevance to students of social work and social gerontology, researchers, managers and policy makers.

This book explains the wide basis of perspectives on which we build an understanding of people's behaviours and why we respond in the way we do.