Practice Recommendations for Social Workers Working with Clients in Middle Adulthood
Rajio Taiso Exercises
During our research into the biological changes that occur during middle adulthood we discovered that regular exercise has been found to minimize the effects of the aging process of mobility loss, body fat accumulation, and bone and joint health. One proposed intervention strategy that addresses the lack of regular exercise for middle adults could be the adoption of the Japanese cultural model of rajio taiso. Rajio Taiso, or morning stretches, exist as a fundamental part of the Japanese morning routine. Every day at 6:30 am, Japanese national radio NHK will broadcast the rajio taiso instructions for that day to businesses, families, schools, and nearly every facet of the Japanese population. Many believe that this daily intervention plays a significant factor in the longevity of the Japanese people, who currently have the longest life expectancy in the world.
The practice of rajio taiso effectively addresses the concern of mobility loss, joint and muscle deterioration, and bone compaction because it exists as a direct intervention against the shortening or condensing of body mass that occurs during sleep. The daily stretching exercises, practiced on a national level, exists as one of key foundations behind Japanese longevity. Research that reflects the proven effectiveness of this intervention in Japan may help justify new policy and practice methods that implement this intervention for the middle-aged American workforce.
Lifestyle Changes for Individuals with Type II Diabetes:
This program is based off of the Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) trial that found intensive nutrition education, behavioral skills classes and exercise goal setting helped individuals with Type II Diabetes lose weight and stop the progression of the disease (NIH, 2010). The proposed intervention would be a joint effort of the Georgia State University School of Social Work, Department of Nutrition and Department of Exercise Science. The social workers would design a behavioral education component focused on problem solving and goal setting skills. The Department of Nutrition would design a meal plan and nutrition education component and the Department of Exercise Science would design exercise plans and classes for participants.
Participants would be recruited from local hospitals and doctors offices who cater to lower income individuals. Classes would meet on a weekly basis for six months, but Georgia State Students would be available for support throughout the week and exercise classes would be taught more frequently. Additionally, the program would run on a rolling basis, so newer participants could be matched with older participants who could provide peer support. After the initial six months, participants would meet for follow up education and counseling on a monthly basis for as long as they desired. Since a similar program design was successful for the Look AHEAD program, it is likely that a program based off of it would also have positive results. We would try to make sure this program was as helpful to low-income individuals as possible, by identifying resources for medical care and income assistance that might be needed to maintain healthy eating habits.
Book Club for Manual Laborers:
Cognitive challenges at work are a protective factor that can minimize cognitive losses during middle adulthood. Many jobs, such as building maintenance or landscaping require more physical labor than cognitive tasks. An intervention designed to mitigate cognitive losses for manual laborers in Middle Adulthood is a community book club. Members of this club will decide collectively on books to read, and meet every week to discuss. The club is free and the discussion will be facilitated by a librarian at a local public library. We are not aware of a current intervention using this model that is focused on the maintenance of cognitive skills for people working in manual labor jobs. The use of online brain training games is being studied as a way to preserve cognitive skills, however, these interventions do not address individuals who do not have access to computers or the internet. The goal of this program is meet the need for cognitive stimulation in Middle Adulthood in a way that is accessible and fun for people of a lower socioeconomic status. We hope that finding cognitive engagement outside the workplace will help minimize differences in cognitive changes for people working white collar and blue collar jobs. The low cost of the program, the identified need for cognitive engagement for people in middle-age, and the gap in research looking at this issue in diverse demographics should justify exploring its efficacy as an intervention strategy.
Community Socials
Although friendships are less numerous among this age group, they are just as intimate and central to the individual. It is important that middle-aged adults remain active and maintain their social lives regularly. Productive social lives provide excellent, lively personality. With personality comes great stress management. An intervention that may assist with developing positive social lives is the attendance to community social events (i.e. local music and art festivals, poetry nights, community social groups, etc.). Taking full advantage of the social events offered by the community and surrounding areas allows for greater numbers of close associates and friendship circles. It is during this time when the children are beginning to grow old and prepare to become independent adults. The parents can then begin to regain their own sense of being and start enjoying what makes them more satisfied with their own lives. The ultimate goal of community socials is to expose middle-aged adults to others just like themselves and to find new, exciting ways to regain their youth while learning to age gracefully.It is the hope that overall life satisfaction will increase in preparation for transition into late adulthood.
Retirement Planning and Caregiver Support
In terms of the current sandwich generation, a practice recommendation for caregivers is to remember to "ask for help." For multiple reasons caregivers take on the responsibility of caring for their aging family members by themselves. Whether it is due to honor or ignorance to what resources are out there for them, caregivers take on the responsibility alone. For those currently in the Sandwich Generation there is no undoing of the circumstances or turning back the clock, so it's making the best of the situation. Using services such as local Area Agency on Aging, hospital social workers, faith based organizations and research informed practices can be a huge source of support. Outside of community resources, it's important that caregivers stay connected and in-tune with family members for support. Whether that be a spouse, child, or sibling expressing their frustration and sometimes anger can ease the stressors of being a caregiver. For those aging members of society, essentially anyone who is out of school and working, who have not yet reached a time in their lives that require care it is imperative that they understand the wisdom of retirement planning. The days of counting on SSI benefits and the stock market are long gone. Private retirement funds and savings are more realistic and should be set in motion as plans early on in life to alleviate some of the financial burden that future caregivers may incur.
During our research into the biological changes that occur during middle adulthood we discovered that regular exercise has been found to minimize the effects of the aging process of mobility loss, body fat accumulation, and bone and joint health. One proposed intervention strategy that addresses the lack of regular exercise for middle adults could be the adoption of the Japanese cultural model of rajio taiso. Rajio Taiso, or morning stretches, exist as a fundamental part of the Japanese morning routine. Every day at 6:30 am, Japanese national radio NHK will broadcast the rajio taiso instructions for that day to businesses, families, schools, and nearly every facet of the Japanese population. Many believe that this daily intervention plays a significant factor in the longevity of the Japanese people, who currently have the longest life expectancy in the world.
The practice of rajio taiso effectively addresses the concern of mobility loss, joint and muscle deterioration, and bone compaction because it exists as a direct intervention against the shortening or condensing of body mass that occurs during sleep. The daily stretching exercises, practiced on a national level, exists as one of key foundations behind Japanese longevity. Research that reflects the proven effectiveness of this intervention in Japan may help justify new policy and practice methods that implement this intervention for the middle-aged American workforce.
Lifestyle Changes for Individuals with Type II Diabetes:
This program is based off of the Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) trial that found intensive nutrition education, behavioral skills classes and exercise goal setting helped individuals with Type II Diabetes lose weight and stop the progression of the disease (NIH, 2010). The proposed intervention would be a joint effort of the Georgia State University School of Social Work, Department of Nutrition and Department of Exercise Science. The social workers would design a behavioral education component focused on problem solving and goal setting skills. The Department of Nutrition would design a meal plan and nutrition education component and the Department of Exercise Science would design exercise plans and classes for participants.
Participants would be recruited from local hospitals and doctors offices who cater to lower income individuals. Classes would meet on a weekly basis for six months, but Georgia State Students would be available for support throughout the week and exercise classes would be taught more frequently. Additionally, the program would run on a rolling basis, so newer participants could be matched with older participants who could provide peer support. After the initial six months, participants would meet for follow up education and counseling on a monthly basis for as long as they desired. Since a similar program design was successful for the Look AHEAD program, it is likely that a program based off of it would also have positive results. We would try to make sure this program was as helpful to low-income individuals as possible, by identifying resources for medical care and income assistance that might be needed to maintain healthy eating habits.
Book Club for Manual Laborers:
Cognitive challenges at work are a protective factor that can minimize cognitive losses during middle adulthood. Many jobs, such as building maintenance or landscaping require more physical labor than cognitive tasks. An intervention designed to mitigate cognitive losses for manual laborers in Middle Adulthood is a community book club. Members of this club will decide collectively on books to read, and meet every week to discuss. The club is free and the discussion will be facilitated by a librarian at a local public library. We are not aware of a current intervention using this model that is focused on the maintenance of cognitive skills for people working in manual labor jobs. The use of online brain training games is being studied as a way to preserve cognitive skills, however, these interventions do not address individuals who do not have access to computers or the internet. The goal of this program is meet the need for cognitive stimulation in Middle Adulthood in a way that is accessible and fun for people of a lower socioeconomic status. We hope that finding cognitive engagement outside the workplace will help minimize differences in cognitive changes for people working white collar and blue collar jobs. The low cost of the program, the identified need for cognitive engagement for people in middle-age, and the gap in research looking at this issue in diverse demographics should justify exploring its efficacy as an intervention strategy.
Community Socials
Although friendships are less numerous among this age group, they are just as intimate and central to the individual. It is important that middle-aged adults remain active and maintain their social lives regularly. Productive social lives provide excellent, lively personality. With personality comes great stress management. An intervention that may assist with developing positive social lives is the attendance to community social events (i.e. local music and art festivals, poetry nights, community social groups, etc.). Taking full advantage of the social events offered by the community and surrounding areas allows for greater numbers of close associates and friendship circles. It is during this time when the children are beginning to grow old and prepare to become independent adults. The parents can then begin to regain their own sense of being and start enjoying what makes them more satisfied with their own lives. The ultimate goal of community socials is to expose middle-aged adults to others just like themselves and to find new, exciting ways to regain their youth while learning to age gracefully.It is the hope that overall life satisfaction will increase in preparation for transition into late adulthood.
Retirement Planning and Caregiver Support
In terms of the current sandwich generation, a practice recommendation for caregivers is to remember to "ask for help." For multiple reasons caregivers take on the responsibility of caring for their aging family members by themselves. Whether it is due to honor or ignorance to what resources are out there for them, caregivers take on the responsibility alone. For those currently in the Sandwich Generation there is no undoing of the circumstances or turning back the clock, so it's making the best of the situation. Using services such as local Area Agency on Aging, hospital social workers, faith based organizations and research informed practices can be a huge source of support. Outside of community resources, it's important that caregivers stay connected and in-tune with family members for support. Whether that be a spouse, child, or sibling expressing their frustration and sometimes anger can ease the stressors of being a caregiver. For those aging members of society, essentially anyone who is out of school and working, who have not yet reached a time in their lives that require care it is imperative that they understand the wisdom of retirement planning. The days of counting on SSI benefits and the stock market are long gone. Private retirement funds and savings are more realistic and should be set in motion as plans early on in life to alleviate some of the financial burden that future caregivers may incur.