¶ … Sisco, Volland, and Gorin (2005) discuss the challenge the United States is likely to face in the near future because of the aging population increase alongside the shrinkage of social workers who are capable of caring for older people. Social workers, the authors argue, need to address this problem by learning from the experiences of a few organizations which have been active in this activity. They note that social workers need to carry out broad fund-raising activities, engage the government and the public, and promote educational and training programs to increase the number of social workers who can address the needs of the aging population in the future. Sisco, Volland, and Gorin (2005) start the article by discussing A Blueprint for the New Millennium, prepared with the support of the Hartford Foundation and the Council on Social Work Education's Strengthening Aging...

344). The study uses the term "demographic imperative" to refer to the combined effects of the aging population, longevity of life expectancy due to technological developments as well as high living standards, the median age of the current population, and the simultaneous shortage of social workers who are active in helping older adults across the country.
The authors further note that, while there is a great need for the development of programs for social workers who work with older adults, there remain serious challenges. Many social workers are of older ages and they will therefore be out of the workforce in the near future. And many others, who are of younger age, intend to leave the workforce within the…