• Elder Exploitation — Tarnish on the ‘Golden Years’
• Cognitive Camouflage — How Alzheimer’s Can Mask Mental Health Conditions
  
• Family Acceptance Project — Helping LGBT Youths
  
• Case of Glorya and Sid
  
• A Second Chance
  
• Writing What’s Wrong
  
• Addiction a Medical, Not Moral, Issue Says New Drug Official
• Asperger’s an Asset in Certain Jobs
  

A Second Chance
A Los Angeles County program returns abused children to their troubled homes, emphasizing better parenting over foster care. What are the risks?

Writing What’s Wrong
An Iowa program helps people with physical and mental illness by encouraging them to write about their experiences.

Addiction a Medical, Not Moral, Issue Says New Drug Official
The new No. 2 in command at the Office of National Drug Control Policy is on a mission to end the “war on drugs” and champion the science that has demonstrated that addiction is a medical, not moral, issue.

Asperger’s an Asset in Certain Jobs
Certain jobs require skills that some individuals with Asperger’s syndrome excel in.

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Having just celebrated the 2009 holiday season, many of your elder clients may be sharing with you happy memories of gatherings with beloved family members. Others, however, may be tearful and angry about family members who appear to be managing an individual’s care but in fact are exploiting the familial relationship with an older adult who depends on them. The reality may be that the apparent “caregiver” is financially dependent on and exploiting the vulnerable elder.

Our E-News Exclusive reports on the shameful exploitation of older adults who may or may not be aware that they are being taken advantage of by family members or others who are or appear to be their caregivers. The author is a professor of social work and former deputy attorney general and assistant district attorney in Lackawanna County, Pa., who has been concerned with special needs populations throughout his legal career.

Please visit our Web site at www.SocialWorkToday.com and become a fan of Social Work Today on Facebook! We welcome your comments at SWTeditor@gvpub.com.

— Marianne Mallon, editor

Elder Exploitation — Tarnish on the ‘Golden Years’
By Ronald W. Costen, PhD

It is no secret that the American population is aging. Between 1950 and 2000, the total U.S. population increased by 87%, while the 65-and-older population grew by 188% and the 85-and-above population increased by 635%. Those living into the seventh, eighth and ninth decades of life often do so with multiple chronic health conditions, limitations, and disabilities. Data from the U.S. Administration on Aging published in “A Report to the Nation on Trends in Health Security” indicates that the majority of those aged 50 and older live with one or more chronic conditions, disabilities, or limitations in their ability to function. It is estimated that 70% of those aged 50 to 64 and 96% of those aged 85 and older have one or more chronic limiting health conditions.

During the last decades, increasing numbers of older adults have been diagnosed with neurological disease, which impacts every aspect of older adults’ lives. Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias have significantly affected the aging population as longevity has increased. According to the Alzheimer’s Association 2009 Alzheimer’s Facts and Figures Report, an estimated 5.3 million Americans of all ages have Alzheimer’s. The report also states that as death rates for heart disease, breast and prostate cancer, and stroke dropped between 2000 and 2006, the death rate for Alzheimer’s increased by 47.1%.

 (FULL STORY)

Cognitive Camouflage — How Alzheimer’s Can Mask Mental Health Conditions
Symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease are often similar to symptoms of some mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. How do you sort it all out? Read more

Family Acceptance Project — Helping LGBT Youths
A California social worker’s research into how family behaviors affect LGBT youths may soon transform how social service professionals promote these youths’ health and well-being. Read more

Case of Glorya and Sid
Now in their early 40s, Glorya and Sid are angry at their lack of desire for any kind of sexual intimacy and sharing. They are articulate, intelligent, competent professionals. Read more

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