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Blog archive

October 2024

September 2024

August 2024

1619 Wide Ranging Interests
08/19/2024

1619 Wide Ranging Interests
08/19/2024

First Anniversary
08/19/2024

Alexandra Leaving by Leonard Cohen
08/16/2024

Muse des Beaux Arts by W. H. Auden
08/16/2024

The God Abandons Antony by Constantinos P. Cavafy
08/16/2024

Ch – Ch – Ch –Changes
08/15/2024

Cultural Activities Team offers an ‘embarrassment of riches’
08/15/2024

Engaging in Pasadena Village
08/15/2024

Future Housing Options
08/15/2024

Message from the President
08/15/2024

There Are Authors Among Us
08/15/2024

Villagers Welcome New Members at the Tournament Park Picnic
08/15/2024

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas
08/14/2024

A narrow Fellow in the Grass by Emily Dickinson
08/13/2024

Haikus
08/13/2024

One Art by Elizabeth Bishop
08/13/2024

Poem 20 by Pablo Neruda
08/13/2024

Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
08/13/2024

Trees by Joyce Kilmer
08/13/2024

July 2024

June 2024

May 2024

Emergency Preparedness: Are You Ready?
05/28/2024

Farewell from the 2023/24 Social Work Interns
05/28/2024

Gina on the Horizon
05/28/2024

Mark Your Calendars for the Healthy Aging Research California Virtual Summit
05/28/2024

Meet Our New Development Associate
05/28/2024

Putting the Strategic Plan into Practice
05/28/2024

Washington Park: Pasadena’s Rediscovered Gem
05/28/2024

Introducing Civil Rights Discussions
05/22/2024

Rumor of Humor #2416
05/14/2024

Rumor of Humor #2417
05/14/2024

Rumor of Humor #2417
05/14/2024

Rumor of Humor #2418
05/14/2024

Springtime Visitors
05/07/2024

Freezing for a Good Cause – Credit, That Is
05/02/2024

No Discussion Meeting on May 3rd
05/02/2024

An Apparently Normal Person Author Presentation and Book-signing
05/01/2024

Flintridge Center: Pasadena Village’s Neighbor That Changes Lives
05/01/2024

Pasadena Celebrates Older Americans Month 2024
05/01/2024

The 2024 Pasadena Village Volunteer Appreciation Lunch
05/01/2024

Woman of the Year: Katy Townsend
05/01/2024

April 2024

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January 2024

Social Work Interns at the Village

By Blog Master
Posted: 01/06/2021
Tags:

 - Esther Gillies -

Seniors are the fastest growing age group in the State of California. As the baby boomers retire, it is estimated that by 2030 one in every three people in California will be over the age of 50. The future demands that well trained professionals become available to support this population as they age. 


Traditionally, many programs offering training and degrees in gerontology, social work, nursing and other helping professions are focused on understanding and developing skills to deal with older adults who have lost capacity to function independently, need one on one support for daily living, are struggling with ongoing life-threatening medical conditions or injury, or are in need of protection from abuse or neglect. Although these skills address a very real need, there is a population of older adults who do not fit neatly into these categories… those who continue to be active and involved in the world around them, those continuing to contribute to their families and community but find that their primary challenges are more likely related to the threat of social isolation and loneliness in an ever-changing world. 

Some years ago, it occurred to several Village members that the Pasadena Village could play a role in preparing young aspiring professionals to meet the challenges of “Growing Gray in California.”  With the approval of then Executive Director, Sue Kujawa, they took action.

The Pasadena Village has now offered internship opportunities to college graduate students who are fulfilling university requirements for completion of a Master’s Degree in Social Work since the Village was a newly emerging organization. The Village Board of Directors approved the first contractual agreement with the University of Southern California (USC) School of Social Work in 2014 and in 2016 approved a similar agreement with Azusa Pacific University (APU). To date, there have been 11 interns who have completed their field placement requirements at the Pasadena Village plus an additional two who are working in the Village now.

The intern project is based on the premise that the program needs to be mutually beneficial to both the interns and to the Village. Therefore, it attempts to meet the needs of both. The interns spend 16 hours per week securing real life experiences working with older adults. They are supervised by a Village member, Esther Gillies, a licensed clinical social worker who provides the required weekly supervision and acts as the official liaison between the universities and the Village.  The interns assist Village members in problem solving, in utilizing the resources of the Village and the community at large. They develop an understanding of the importance of community and the need for socialization. They learn how to address issues of isolation and loneliness. They learn how to listen and develop an understanding of the challenges of growing older. They begin to develop professional social work ethics and learn the importance of respect for self-determination by older adults. They learn about the operation of a non-profit organization.

The Village on the other hand benefits from the ideas of a younger generation, their enthusiasm, their varied talents and the multiple ethnic and cultural groups that they represent. Significant contributions by the interns over the years have involved the development of the Women’s Group model; Transportation initiatives helping members learn to use public transportation; participation in information gathering and evaluation of the data for Village annual evaluations; development of the psycho-educational program, Adapting When Life Gets Tough; an informational campaign on voting; active participation in several Village Committees; and the list goes on.

Eleven of our graduates are now practicing social workers in communities across the state.  In several upcoming editions of the Pasadena Village E-Newsletter, we will be highlighting the work of our graduate interns letting you know where they are now and how they are applying those social work skills grounded in the training they received at the Pasadena Village.  

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