Aging Practice Tools

During the Medicare open enrollment period (OEP, October 15–December 7), Medicare beneficiaries can review, compare, and change their coverage options for the upcoming calendar year. As a social worker, you can help clients understand and navigate the OEP. Read this NASW Practice Alert for detailed information about Medicare coverage options and beneficiary out-of-pocket costs for 2023 (including reduced-cost insulin), Medicare OEP tools and resources, financial assistance for Medicare beneficiaries, and messaging regarding Medicare Advantage and original Medicare.

It is important for social workers—including those who work with older adults—to develop a deep understanding about the ways in which the environment and individual health outcomes are interconnected. This NASW publication describes the connection between human health and features of the environment, including weather, air, and food. The resource also highlights efforts within the social work profession to bring environmental health issues to the forefront and to advance practices and policies that are beneficial to people, communities, and the natural environment.

In the spirit of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (June 15), NASW has published a report describing how social workers are responding to and preventing elder abuse at local, state, national, and Tribal levels. This publication aims both to advance elder justice within the social work profession and to underscore the innumerable contributions of the profession to the elder justice field.

This inventory, developed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in May 2022, provides resources for health and social service providers interested in enhancing outreach to and support for older Veterans who have or are at risk for behavioral health conditions. The inventory includes programs and publications on topics such as posttraumatic stress disorder, substance use disorders, pain management, suicide prevention, and long-term services and supports.

Social workers play integral roles in helping clients understand, access, and navigate Social Security benefits. This Practice Alert provides updates on field office reopenings and other recent developments within the Social Security Administration. It concludes with NASW advocacy related to Social Security.

Following its November 12, 2021, release of guidance for nursing home visitation during the COVID-19 pandemic, CMS released three versions of frequently asked questions clarifying the guidance. NASW upholds both the right of nursing home residents to receive visitors and the need for vaccination and other public health measures to decrease COVID-19 transmission and severity. The association offers resources to help social workers engage with clients, colleagues, family, and friends about COVID-19 vaccination.