ORCID
Halvorsen, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9184-633X
Language
English (en)
Publication Date
2020
Summary
It has long been the goal of many gerontological social work scholars to increase the ability and opportunity for people to be engaged in paid and unpaid work throughout the life course. Yet the COVID-19 pandemic is revealing and exacerbating the financial insecurity of many older adults. In this paper, we review information related to older workers and how they might be affected by this pandemic and its aftermath, paying particular attention to the most socioeconomically and physically vulnerable older workers. We also offer first-hand experiences from our careers working with and conducting scholarship on older workers, paying particular attention to recent actions by many in the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) network to provide paid sick leave to its low-income, older adult participants. We conclude with implications for social work scholarship and teaching, noting the uptick in technology use among older adults and the disparities that remain, as well as teaching that integrates discussions on the lifelong and cumulative effects of inequalities and marginalization and the need for additional researcher, student, and community collaborations.
Document Type
Article
Recommended Citation
Halvorsen, Cal J. and Yulikova, Olga, "Older Workers in the Time of COVID-19: The Senior Community Service Employment Program and Implications for Social Work" (2020). Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging. 13.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/centerforaging/13
Comments
Originally Published In: Halvorsen, C., & Yulikova, O. (2020). Older workers in the time of COVID-19: The Senior Community Service Employment Program and implications for social work. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 63(6-7), 530-541. https://doi.org/10.1080/01634372.2020.1774832