Elder Justice from Department of Aging at Health and Human Services

Reflections for a Social Work Class
Week 1: Elder Justice from Department of Aging at Health and Human Services
I selected the elder justice topic because the elderly face more challenges compared to other members of the population, and as a result, their affairs ought to be taken more seriously. It is common knowledge that the elderly are more susceptible to health challenges such as chronic conditions, mental health problems, and physical injury. Furthermore, as pointed out in the material, millions of the elderly in America go through discrimination, neglect, exploitation, and abuse (HHS.gov, 2019). Therefore, I believe that understanding the challenges the elderly go through and how to solve them is important, especially because their population is rising. 
The materials shared by the Department of Aging at Health and Human Services have helped me understand to a great extent the problems experienced by the aged and how to participate in addressing them. Not only does the site provide FAQs about elder abuse, but it also has many educational materials aimed towards the stop and prevention abuse of the elderly (HHS.gov, 2019). For example, the website has links to other websites providing resources that can help advance justice for the elderly. I have worked with the elderly in the past, and I understand they can be victims of financial fraud and exploitation. I have learned how to stop fraud, such as Medicare fraud, and I will pass this knowledge whenever necessary to clients I will work with in the future. 
I look forward to working as a mental health social worker in the future, and I am confident that some of the patients I will be helping will be the elderly. In this regard, with knowledge about the abuse they go through, which may contribute to their mental health challenges, I will be well-positioned to help them navigate the problems. Given that my method area is policy practice, I will contribute to developing relevant policies to address the abuse experienced by the elderly. For example, I can foster a policy to help the elderly report better the abuses they experience to facilitate bringing to justice the responsible culprits. 
The information I have learned from the materials will be useful in addressing issues of discrimination, diversity, and marginalization, particularly as they relate to the elderly. I will be addressing mental health problems with the knowledge that the elderly are more susceptible to fraud, and I ought to be in a position to understand them if they bring up related issues. 
Reference
HHS.gov. (2019). Elder Justice. Retrieved from U.S. Department of Health & Human Services: /aging/elder-justice/index.html
Week 2: National Resource Center on LGBT Aging
I picked LGBT aging because I understand that the world and America, in particular, are changing towards accommodating group members. Given that the elderly experience many challenges, I felt that those belonging to the LGBT community have it worse, and understanding their challenges and how to solve them is key to making this world a little better. Therefore, I picked the topic because I needed to understand the problems facing the elderly from the LGBT community and possibly contemplate if I can help them ...