Last week was Careers in Aging week! We had the privilege of inviting people of various careers to speak about how they work with older adults. One of those was Keri White! Her official job title is Recruiting and Advising Specialist for the ACU School of Social Work MSSW Program. She previously served as the Director of Social Services at a long-term care facility and prior to that served as the Licensed Master Social Worker with a hospice company.
How did you work with older adults?
In my two positions that I held prior to coming to work at ACU I served aging clients and their families in a variety of ways. I completed required cognitive and mood assessments with clients in the nursing home that are required by the state; led care plan meetings with residents, families, and facility staff to assist in providing the resident with the care they needed/wanted; provided discharge planning and discharge referrals for residents returning to the community; and also offered support and encouragement through active listening and empathy with residents and their families. With Hospice I visited clients in their homes, helped connect patients and families to resources as needed, and provided support and encouragement to patients and families.”
How did you work with older adults?out working with older adults?
“I think my favorite part of working with older adults is getting to hear their stories, learn from them, and remind them of their worth and value. So often people overlook older adults and it is so unfortunate because they have so much wisdom and so many experiences that we can learn from.”