What is the Hartford Partnership Program for Aging Education?
As the Baby Boom generation hits retirement age, an unprecedented one in five Americans, or 70 million, will be 65 or older within the next three decades.1 This demographic shift is producing rising demand for professionals trained to work specifically with older adults, many of whom are dealing with major mid-life adjustments, chronic health problems and long-term illnesses. Social workers— who have traditionally helped older adults navigate the often bewildering world of medical treatment and costs, housing and other life needs— are in acute demand. Yet despite the fact that the U.S. Department of Labor has consistently identified social work as a growth profession, the number of social workers— and of geriatric social workers in particular— is far below the 60,000 to 70,000 workforce experts say is needed to support the growing ranks of the aging.2 About 56,000 or 28 percent of social workers are currently focused on caring for older adults.3 Surveys by the National Association of S
