Event Title
Aging "In-The-World": Existential Perspectives, Social Work & Aging Populations
Location
Hager-Lubbers Exhibition Hall
Description
PURPOSE: To encounter an aging or older adult and provide them with the most satisfactory services requires knowledge of the existential reality of old age (Langle, 2001). This means social workers and other helping professionals working with individuals in this population must be able to enter into the phenomenological world of the person as much as it is possible to do so. PROCEDURE: Provide a thorough review of the basic ideas expressed in the existential literature as it relates to individuals in the later stages of life and social work practice. This was completed by conducting a comprehensive search of relevant databases and books on the subject. OUTCOME: Literature is discussed and recommended practice applications are presented, however, the subjective nature of the topic under consideration has notoriously made conducting rigorous, objective research a difficult task. Therefore, the majority of the review deals with how existential-philosophical concepts and themes inform practice. IMPACT: To increase awareness of the utility of incorporating existential perspectives into practice with aging populations.
Aging "In-The-World": Existential Perspectives, Social Work & Aging Populations
Hager-Lubbers Exhibition Hall
PURPOSE: To encounter an aging or older adult and provide them with the most satisfactory services requires knowledge of the existential reality of old age (Langle, 2001). This means social workers and other helping professionals working with individuals in this population must be able to enter into the phenomenological world of the person as much as it is possible to do so. PROCEDURE: Provide a thorough review of the basic ideas expressed in the existential literature as it relates to individuals in the later stages of life and social work practice. This was completed by conducting a comprehensive search of relevant databases and books on the subject. OUTCOME: Literature is discussed and recommended practice applications are presented, however, the subjective nature of the topic under consideration has notoriously made conducting rigorous, objective research a difficult task. Therefore, the majority of the review deals with how existential-philosophical concepts and themes inform practice. IMPACT: To increase awareness of the utility of incorporating existential perspectives into practice with aging populations.