The proportion of older adults in the general population is increasing every day. According to TUIK (Turkish Statistical Institute) 2023 data, the rate of older adults in Türkiye rose from 8.8% to 10.2% over the last five years, representing a 21.4% increase. This growth, expressed in both numbers and percentages, underscores not only the heightened need for social workers in quantitative terms but also the importance of professional qualifications. As technology advances and the quality of life and care improves, older adults and their relatives are increasingly demanding higher-quality social services. Therefore, it is crucial to determine the necessary competencies, address any deficiencies, and train qualified professionals in order to improve service quality.
Social work departments in Turkish universities currently offer gerontology as an elective course. However, the exact level of geriatric competency among alumni from these departments remains unknown. Given the increasing importance of old age as a core component of social work, gerontology should be included as a mandatory course in the curriculum. To date, no training programs have been conducted to enhance social workers’ geriatric knowledge and skills, nor have their specific needs in this area been determined.
Although there are only a few social workers in Türkiye who work in geriatric units—whether independent or affiliated with internal medicine departments—those in hospitals where such units exist provide services to older adults after consultation. Social workers receive no formal training on aging, except for the undergraduate elective course Social Work with Older People.
The aim of this study is to assess the current situation and needs of social workers in order to develop an educational program on older adults specifically tailored for them.
Curriculum development
Program development encompasses the dynamic relationships among the objectives, content, teaching–learning process, and evaluation elements of the curriculum. Kern et al. (2015) described a comprehensive program development process consisting of six basic steps [1], as shown in Fig. 1.
Curriculum Development Process
Problem identification and general needs assessment: This process provides a rational approach to identifying priorities and utilizing available resources, and it includes gathering and analyzing information on the learning needs of the target group [1]. A wide variety of methods and techniques are used in determining these requirements.
The world is on the verge of a demographic turning point. The population is expected to continue aging, potentially even at an accelerated pace, due to falling fertility rates and significant increases in life expectancy [2]. With the continuing decline in mortality rates among older adult, the proportion of those aged 80 and over is rising rapidly, and more individuals are living beyond 100. There is growing evidence from international data that, with appropriate policies and programs, people can remain healthy and independent into old age and continue to contribute to their families and communities.
With the introduction of the American Social Security System (Medicare and Medicaid) in the late 1960s, the need for assessment and social work intervention became increasingly critical. At that time, many older adults were hospitalized, and patients who received social work assistance had an average hospital stay of thirty-nine days, compared to eighteen days for those not referred [3]. As the number of vulnerable inpatients grew, social workers needed to identify, as early as possible, those who required their services. Researchers aimed to isolate factors that would enable the early diagnosis and evaluation of older inpatients who could benefit from social work interventions. These early studies found that psychosocial factors are as important as medical indicators in identifying patients likely to experience extended hospital stays and in need of social work support. Furthermore, it was reported that identifying such patients earlier can shorten their hospital stay [4].
In 1998, the John A. Hartford Foundation launched a major long-term initiative to strengthen geriatric social work education. The focus of this initiative is to better prepare social workers to meet the needs of an expanding older adult population. One of the Foundation’s funded programs is the Strengthening Ageing and Gerontology Education in Social Work (SAGE-SW) Project, which is administered by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). The general aim of SAGE-SW is to enhance gerontological education for all social workers, enabling them to address the needs of a growing older adult demographic [5]. The United States currently has the most developed geriatric social work system, while Ireland is recognized as the only officially “age-friendly” country in the world. Meanwhile, in Türkiye, geriatric services are offered by facilities that are either independent or affiliated with internal medicine.
Old age is one of the main areas of social work intervention. The issues that arise during this period fall under the purview of social work. While social work intervention sometimes accompanies medical treatment as a secondary measure, in other situations, the primary need is for social work intervention itself [6].
Research indicates a growing need for trained geriatric social workers due to population aging and changing family structures [7, 8]. Various training programs have been implemented worldwide to address this need. Banoob (1992) proposed an integrated approach for short-term training of healthcare professionals, including social workers, which was adopted internationally [8]. Bures et al. (2003) discussed graduate-level social work training initiatives in the United States, while Soliman (2021) reported on a successful training program in Egypt that improved social workers’ professional performance with older adults [7, 9]. However, Ayalon (2020) highlighted challenges in implementing such programs, emphasizing the importance of needs assessments and addressing real-life constraints [10]. Despite these challenges, training programs have shown potential benefits, including enhanced professional knowledge, skills, and performance among social workers caring for older adults [7, 9]. These findings underscore the importance of continued development and evaluation of geriatric social work training programs.
Because a comprehensive geriatric evaluation requires medical, psychological, social, and environmental assessments, it cannot be provided by a single professional group. Sources indicate that this type of evaluation can only be carried out by an interdisciplinary team of professionals, with older adults and their social environment at the center of this team, as shown in Fig. 2 [11].
Geriatric Social Work Focus
The study employs the Geriatric Social Work Competency Scale, the UCLA Geriatric Attitudes Scale, and a sociodemographic questionnaire to assess social workers’ educational needs, competencies, and attitudes toward older adults. These scales were chosen for their proven reliability and validity in evaluating key aspects of geriatric social work.
The Geriatric Social Work Competency Scale, developed by Damron-Rodriguez et al. (2006) and adapted into Turkish by Duyan and Tuncay (2015), measures professional knowledge and skills and demonstrates high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.966) [11, 12]. The UCLA Geriatric Attitudes Scale, created by Reuben et al. (1998) and validated in Turkish by Şahin et al. (2012), assesses healthcare professionals’ perceptions and biases regarding aging [13]. These tools have been widely used in research to identify gaps in geriatric education, assess workforce preparedness, and evaluate the effectiveness of training interventions.
The sociodemographic questionnaire complements these scales by examining how factors such as educational background, work experience, and personal exposure to older adults influence social workers’ competencies and attitudes. Together, these measures provide a comprehensive framework for evaluating training needs and informing curriculum development.
Hypotheses of the Research:
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Hypothesis 1 (H1): Social workers have a significant need for an educational program focused on the health of older adults.
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Hypothesis 2 (H2): There is a significant difference in social workers’ perceived need for older adult health education based on their age.
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Hypothesis 3 (H3): There is a significant difference in social workers’ perceived need for older adult health education based on gender.
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Hypothesis 4 (H4): There is a significant difference in social workers’ perceived need for older adult health education based on years of professional experience.
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Hypothesis 5 (H5): There is a significant difference in social workers’ perceived need for older adult health education based on the faculty from which they graduated.
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Hypothesis 6 (H6): There is a significant difference in social workers’ perceived need for older adult health education based on participation in in-service training.
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Hypothesis 7 (H7): There is a significant difference in social workers’ perceived need for older adult health education based on whether they currently live with older adults.
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