IGSW to Provide Certificate Program in Aging, Training in Suicide Prevention for Older Adults

All newly hired adult protective workers throughout the state of Massachusetts will receive online training in aging leading to a Certificate in Aging from the Institute for Geriatric Social Work (IGSW) at Boston University School of Social Work.

In partnership with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs, IGSW will make available its 21-hour online certificate program that complements the Commonwealth’s current, intensive face-to-face orientation. The online courses provide a foundation in aging, essential in a variety of settings.

“For protective-services staff, the program provides a direct benefit by increasing their basic knowledge about aging and enhancing their skills in assessing situations of elders at risk for abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation,” said Kathy Kuhn (’77), IGSW’s director of education and training. “Our courses have been shown to be effective for these busy professionals, providing convenient, focused training that maximizes the transfer of practice skills and practice-relevant knowledge.” Participants can access the training 24/7 from any computer with Internet access, and complete the courses at their own pace.

In addition, professionals working with older adults in mental health, substance abuse, and aging services will be better prepared to address the pressing need for suicide prevention among the older population thanks to a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to the IGSW. The funding will support a collaboration between IGSW, the Massachusetts Association of Older Americans, and the Massachusetts Aging and Mental Health Coalition to develop an innovative and cost-effective training program for practitioners working in agencies across the state.

“Undetected and under-treated depression and the high rate of suicide among older adults presents one of the most urgent problems we face in strengthening the social service workforce to care for a burgeoning older population,” said Scott Miyake Geron, IGSW director and an SSW associate professor.

Through a unique blend of face-to-face and online training, course participants will develop the knowledge and skills required to identify, assess, and effectively respond to older adults at risk of suicide. “This approach to workforce development brings together the often separate worlds of mental health and aging, using a combination of face to face and online training in an already existing statewide network, with the goal of creating system change through training—as well as providing the help that many individuals and families need right now,” Geron said.

The Institute for Geriatric Social Work is dedicated to strengthening the workforce for an aging society through educational innovation, workforce change, and research. Located at Boston University School of Social Work, IGSW builds upon the School’s historical commitment to the aging field and current strength in gerontological teaching, research and training.

For more information on IGSW’s programs and services, please visit /ssw/igsw/