Geriatric Social Work Initiative:
Celebrating Ten Years of Visionary Leadership

The 2009 Hartford Foundation Annual Report celebrates the first decade of the Geriatric Social Work Initiative (GSWI), which was launched in 1999 to address the gap between the need for geriatric social workers and the ability of the profession to educate and train sufficient numbers of social workers to serve older adults. This annual report honors the dedicated grantees, deans, faculty, students, and social work practitioners who for ten years have integrated geriatric principles throughout social work education and practice, thus transforming the field.

The Geriatric Social Work Initiative uses two primary strategies to ensure that all social workers receive geriatrics training as part of their education: 1) cultivating academic leaders in gerontological education and research; and 2) transforming social work education. These strategies are described and illustrated in detail through narratives and photos. Additionally, the initiative reaches out to deans and directors of schools of social work through the Leadership Academy in Aging.

To learn more, please see this excerpt from our 2009 Annual Report.