The UW-Madison School of Social Work will offer new graduate courses in Fall 2016 to prepare students to care for aging adults, according to a UW-Madison news release.
The expanded course options were created in part because of a growing need: according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the aging adult population in the U.S. will double in the next 25 years.
“Those who specialize in social work with older adults will have exciting opportunities to contribute to and shape essential practice, policy and service delivery issues that will be at the forefront in our society over the next half-century,” said part-time Master of Social Work Program Director Betty Kramer.
The new courses not only respond to national trends, but problems in Wisconsin specifically. According to Eau Claire County’s Plan on Aging, more than 20 percent of citizens are age 65 or older in many northern and western areas of the state.
“There is a desperate need for professionals who specialize in aging and health in Eau Claire and the western region of the state,” said Mechele Pitt, the program’s site director at UW-Eau Claire.
The new courses will be held Saturdays in Eau Claire and Madison.
