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In this Issue
Continuing Education
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Gift Shop
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Tech & Tools
Mobile App Helps Agency Work With At-Risk Children
An agency operating in New York City's Harlem neighborhood and in suburban counties of the city has equipped 55 of its visiting child-welfare agency workers with global positioning system-enabled mobile phones running software that accurately records whom they visit, when, and for how long. Learn more »

New iPhone Application for Child Welfare Investigators
Cúram Software announces a new app that provides child welfare caseworkers mobile access to real-time information in the field so they can more efficiently identify clients in the area, prioritize those clients most in need of a visit, initiate case interviews, and process emergency placements. Learn more »
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Editor's E-Note
Aging is one of the major challenges we face in life. Doing it well often requires calling upon the resources and support systems we have developed throughout life’s journey. Aging individuals who are immigrants and refugees are living without the security of the culture in which they matured. Facing the same challenges as all older adults, they must negotiate already complex social services systems with the added burden of English as a second language.

This month’s E-News Exclusive explores the  needs of this vulnerable sector of the population and what social workers must understand about working effectively with elders who are immigrants and refugees, their families, and their other caregivers.

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— Marianne Mallon, editor
E-News Exclusive
Addressing the Social Work Needs of Older Immigrants and Refugees
By Christina Reardon, MSW, LSW

Growing numbers of older immigrants and refugees are living in the United States. The number of foreign-born people living in the United States rose from about 31 million in 2000 to about 38 million in 2009, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and roughly 11% of the foreign-born population is aged 65 or older.

All older adults struggle at times with the challenges that accompany aging, such as health problems, cognitive decline, loss of independence, and social isolation. But what if you are confronting these issues when English is not your first language and you don’t understand it well enough to navigate American culture or social services systems?

As the social work profession prepares to better serve the coming wave of aging baby boomers, it must not overlook the needs of aging immigrants and refugees. Empowering these elders involves a delicate mix of cultural competence, an understanding of the unique dynamics of immigrants’ and refugees’ lives, and a willingness to advocate on their behalf.

Full Story »
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Raising Healthy Families in a Weight-Obsessed Culture
Children are vulnerable in a sea of media images of the “perfect body” and peer pressure to conform. Therapists can offer parents resources to help children better understand the reality of what makes a healthy body. Read more »

Substance Abuse in People With Intellectual Disabilities
The deinstitutionalization of people with intellectual disabilities has led to more opportunities for community-based living, but on the downside, it has also created more opportunities to use and abuse drugs and alcohol. How can standard recovery models be adapted? Read more »

TeenScreen Proactive on Mental Health
The TeenScreen National Center for Mental Health Checkups began 12 years ago as the Columbia University TeenScreen Program, a school- and community-based initiative to screen adolescents for signs of mental illness and risk of suicide.
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Other Social Work News
New Study Shows Autism Raises Risk for Later Siblings
CNN reports on research showing that children who have older siblings with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have an increased risk of having ASD themselves.

Facebook Overuse Unhealthy for Youths
According to the Los Angeles Times, new research on social networking sites shows some bad news for youths who are heavy users.

Author Explores the Meaning of Later Life Expectancies, Work, Retirement, and Fulfillment
The Boston Globe reports on a scholar who has written on the phase of life she has dubbed "Adulthood II."
Today's Diet & Nutrition
Music Reduces Anxiety and Pain, Improves Quality of Life for Patients With Cancer
According to The New York Times, several recent studies show that music medicine and music therapy can reduce anxiety and pain, and improve mood and quality of life in patients with cancer.
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