New Ideas

Abstract

In this last rather brief chapter I shall try to pull some threads together and talk about the directions that social work with elderly people can take. This is important because the potential demand for help will increase and social workers will be gradually consolidating the skills we have rather hurriedly learned. In this respect, perhaps, social workers should be self-conscious about our practice, and make every effort to evaluate it, however tentatively, and write it up for mutual benefit. The BASW Guidelines (Marshall, 1988) on dementia show how practitioners can share their very latest skills which are developing very fast in this area of work.