Social work practice and professional development in master's programs

Social Work Social Policies in Community Agencies

Hall (2013) opines that social workers practicing from a community organizing or development perspective try to tackle systemic problems that lead to negative social issues. Social policy attempts to study how society promotes individual and family welfare. Also, the policies tend to be consistent with what the government of the day views to be the most optimal way to help those who are disadvantaged and can't help themselves. A number of these social policies are incorporated in the works of community agencies. They include availing supportive services to the vulnerable members of society and coming up with long-term policies handling care services so as to help this disadvantaged demographic. Serving Seniors Agency Social Problems, Social Policies, Target Population and Services Provided

From 1970, Serving Seniors, a program based in San Diego County, has been one of the leading service providers to seniors with low-incomes in the county. The organizations has improved the livelihoods of seniors with its innovative and well-thought out programs that assist seniors achieve as much independence as they can in their lifestyles. The organization is one of only a few such organizations in the country. They provide a range of important services like social services, health education, case management, affordable housing and healthy meals. The organization's model is considered one of the best in the country and has been modeled by other organizations. Serving Seniors Agency's staff members are committed to bettering the lives of low-income seniors and they do this by constantly coming up with and executing innovative programs that impact both seniors and the entire community (Serving Seniors, 2016).

Serving Seniors Agency's operations are funded by grants, well wishers' donation and matching gifts. People also volunteer their time to work in the organization. There are also partnerships with banks and various organizations like the arrangement they have with Bank of America to support the Homeless Prevention Program which assists in making the transition from the streets to stable housing easy for seniors. Other partnerships are with: The West Foundation that avails important health services for seniors under their care and ensures the Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Center and Senior Community operates efficiently; Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center which funds the Nurse Case Management Program, a program that has helped buy a van to help in delivering fresh meals from the organization's kitchens to seniors' designated congregate dining sites; MAZON which supports the Meals Program and funds awareness campaigns for nutrition programs for seniors; Union Bank which provides grant funding; and SDG&E which has lent support to the Senior Nutrition Program. The Senior Nutrition Program works to reduce food insecurity and hunger among low income seniors' households (Serving Seniors, 2016). Effects of Social Policies on Delivery of Services
O'Shaughnessy (2008) notes that even though senior services can be accorded to everyone over the age of 60, it is a law requirement that people with the greatest social and economic need be given special attention. Congress specifies the groups that should be targeted: members of ethnic groups or minority groups, the rural older poor, people not proficient in English and people at risk. Basing help on factors like means testing, evaluating a person's assets, income, personal property and savings is not allowed. The organization encourages participants to contribute for services received so the organization can reach other people. Further, states can adopt policies geared at saving costs in undertaking some of the services like adult day care services, homecare and personal care. Such cost-reduction policies can be implemented with fees charged on a sliding scale based on the cost of offering services and income. The organization may not deny the older individuals services because they have failed to make cost-sharing payments or voluntary contributions, where policies of that nature exist.

While disbursement of funds to covered states is pegged on age, the states and agencies on the ground make the determination on how their target segments of the population are to be served with guidance from federal law. Various methods are utilized to determine which services are targeted and how, including strategic outreach and access to minority and low-income older people, as well as locating services where vulnerable targets reside. Some of the services offered are tailored strictly for vulnerable people. They include family caregiver support services, long-term care ombudsman program, assisted transportation to those with limited mobility, and home and community-based long-term care services (O'Shaughnessy, 2008). Key Barriers in Addressing the Problems at Serving Seniors
Adequate funding is the most significant barrier to solving the problems the agency faces. The organization's meals program is one of the programs that are not adequately funded while it has been documented that good nutrition leads to a more balanced and healthy aging process. Data gathered from past efforts show that increasing investment in the nutrition program leads to less ER visits, reduced hospitalizations as well as the number of days spent in a health facility, in case one is admitted. The Health Services program also needs more funding to fully reach its potential. It offers important services like nursing, geriatric care coordination and the provision of mental health specialists that can be vastly scaled if funding increased. The Lifelong Learning program which helps seniors expand their capabilities by offering to volunteer, and so learn new useful skills, needs more funds to grow and have greater impact. The program's impact is already significant as it has helped seniors build self-esteem by being productive members of society. Financing constraints have limited the organizations reach and the ability to grow fast to meet the growing demands of the current society. Securing the organization's future so as to meet all the needs of San Diego seniors will take building a great endowment through endowed funds as well as planned giving (Serving Seniors, 2016). REFERENCES
Hall, C. (2013). Social Work Practice in Community Development. Retrieved September 12, 2016, from Canadian Association of Social Workers: http://www.casw-acts.ca/en/social-work-practice-community-development

O'Shaughnessy, C. V. (2008, April 11). The Aging Services Network: Accomplishments and Challenges in Serving a Growing Elderly Population. Retrieved September 12, 2016, from National Health Policy Forum: http://www.nhpf.org/library/background-papers/BP_AgingServicesNetwork_04-11-08.pdf

Serving Seniors. (2016). About Us. Retrieved September 12, 2016, from Serving Seniors: http://www.servingseniors.org/about-us/