Gerontological Social Work

The book provides a comprehensive and systematic understanding of gerontology and social work practice with older persons, organised across five units. It equips students and practitioners with conceptual clarity, theoretical grounding, policy awareness, and practical skills by viewing ageing as a multidimensional life stage shaped by demographic, psychosocial, economic, health, and policy factors. The first unit introduces gerontology, its meaning and scope, and analyses ageing from demographic, psychological, socio-cultural, economic, and health perspectives. It discusses major issues faced by older persons, including health problems, income insecurity, retirement, family support, gender concerns, and property rights, while outlining the role of social work in advocacy, service delivery, empowerment, and rights-based practice. Unit II focuses on developmental tasks and psychosocial challenges in old age, explaining concepts such as healthy ageing, successful ageing, and quality of life, and addressing issues of bereavement, loneliness, loss of spouse, and acceptance of death. Unit III examines care settings and support systems, including hospitals, home-based care, old-age homes.