Leveraging Social Work Leadership to Dismantle Barriers to Nursing Home Care for Seniors

Seniors (65+) represent a robust and rapidly growing population group. According to the department of U.S. Health and Human services (2021), persons 65 and older represented 16% of the population in 2016 and is projected to reach 21.6% in 2040. This influx of seniors, who will inevitably need care as they age, has resulted in a ballooning demand in the healthcare industry.

The World Health Organization asserts healthcare is a human right, yet the United States has not accepted this position. The health care system is fractured by disparities in access, treatment and outcomes fueled by an undercurrent of systematic discrimination adversely impacting vulnerable groups of people such as seniors. Closing the health gap is one of the grand challenges of social work.

One of many ways this health gap is actualized by seniors, is in access to nursing home care. Leadership is essential to the mission of social work. Leveraging Social Work leadership is a pathway to ameliorate this grand challenge.

This scholarship takes a deep dive into identifying the barriers seniors experience in accessing nursing home care. It then leans into a triad approach to policy reform and employing journey mapping as a tool to enhance social work practice and the senior’s experience to overcome barriers. It is crucial for social workers to not only have a voice but a seat at the table to progress sustainable solutions.