ABSTRACT
The numbers and proportion of elderly persons in the US population increases, so, too, does demand for geriatric services. This chapter presents a family-centered resilience-based model of geriatric social work practice known as Functional-Age Model (FAM) of Intergenerational Treatment. FAM consists of two interrelated assessment protocols: a bio-psychosocial and spiritual assessment of the older adults; and an exploration of the family system as a developmental unit and set of reciprocal roles. Social workers have not always placed equal emphasis on both person and environment. During the 1930s, the Great Depression kept alive the need for direct environmental intervention. Psychoanalytic theory was used as a human behavior theory to guide client assessment and intervention. Biological age is the physiological age-related changes and functional capacities of vital organ systems that contribute to life expectancy. Psychological age refers to how a person has adapted to environmental demands over time. In this regard, it is essential for social workers to take a complete history.
