MSW Social Work Purpose Statement Dementia

MSW Personal Purpose Statement Dementia Care

For me the social work profession and its core values are founded upon the imperative of helping the weakest and most vulnerable members of our community. I incorporate these values in my work with the elderly afflicted with Alzheimer’s Disease as well as veterans returning from war, helping people to feel that they have an attachment to their community. My compassion and warmth are probably the great strengths that I bring to the Social Work profession, along with my unbridled enthusiasm for our field.

Moving to America from our native Armenia when I was 12 years old and building a new life in Los Angeles was a great adjustment which required that I learn many new skills. Knowing almost no English upon arrival, school was at first a special challenge to which I quickly adapted. Thus, if accepted to the MSW program at UXX with a focus on adults and healthy aging, completing your program will be my principal crowning achievement thus far. My adjustment to America began right at the beginning of my adolescent years and the inherent challenges of this period of life. I struggled to adopt to Western culture as rapidly as possible, to fit in with the community and especially at my school with the other students. With the help of my family, I was able to achieve my goals and made rapid progress in school and at mastering English. Thus, I feel strongly that I am a solid candidate for your program so that I can advance professionally into a lifetime of service to the vulnerable who most need my support, especially the elderly.

I am fluent in Armenian and Russian and look forward to using these languages as well as an MSW professional. I want to learn as much as I can by completing your program at UXX about all aspects of social work and the needs of individuals at every life stage, especially adolescents through seniors. After I earn the degree, my goal is to work with the elderly that suffer from dementia and/or as an addiction specialist, crisis counselor, or wellness coach, helping people to learn to better manage stress, assist them with behavior modification, helping them to make positive, enduring, and sustainable changes in their lives.

The UXX School of Social Work is my first choice because it is the online leader in Social Work with the most advanced curriculum. I also very much appreciate your emphasis on the importance of creating social change. In addition to my special focus on dementia, me and other family members have suffered from the alcohol abuse of my father and grandfather, and I have felt sad for a long time that I was unable to defend them from this abuse, that I did not have the chance to stand up for them and help them. Drinking in excess is quite common in Armenian culture; at the same time, women are accorded very limited power and authority to set rules and boundaries that protect themselves and their children from abuse.  My ongoing education towards the cutting-edge of social work in the area of addictions and substance abuse stands as an important tribute to my mother and grandmother as well. Both were of central importance to my social and moral development that provided me with a foundation upon which to build, a cause for which to struggle. My grandmother now has Alzheimer’s disease, resulting in my great professional passion for helping those who suffer from this affliction as well, especially supporting their caregivers.

For more than a year now, I have been volunteering with the TimeOut Program dedicated to supporting individuals with Alzheimer’s. Our goal is to educate people about Alzheimer’s disease so that they can better prepare themselves for facing the effects of this disease in the future. With the number of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease radically increasing, more and more people are succumbing to the memory loss that erases the precious moments of one’s life. A fading memory not only makes individuals lonely and secluded, but also dependent on others to perform daily tasks. Their caretakers have to stay by their side every minute of every day, resulting in physical and emotional fatigue for the caretakers and limited social interaction for the seniors. At TimeOut, I was paired with a senior who has Alzheimer’s and spent time with them three hours every week at the OPICA Adult day Care and Caregiver Support Center. Together, we participated in various activities that helped us to build a strong, lasting relationship. Not only does our program help seniors to overcome their loneliness without any financial cost, but we also provide them with exciting experiences, spend time with them and gave caregivers a break to run errands or just to relax. Meeting every week and sharing stories allowsus to form strong bond with the seniors. The TimeOut Program is just one of the many ways we show support in our community for individuals with Alzheimer’s.

I also worked with veterans who have returned from war at the Wellness Works Program in XXXX. This is an organization through which our community can create, support, and be part of providing a space for veterans to heal from the stress and wounds of military service. As we promote the loving reintegration of veterans back into the surrounding community and honor their service, we strengthen our bonds as a community.  Our work is sustained by community investments of time, service and money. I decided to volunteer here so as to have the opportunity to help better integrate veterans who are struggling with many different psychological disorders related to their deployment.

As an undergraduate student, I worked with student government at UXX helping to meet the needs of students transferring into our school from different community colleges. We offered quarterly information-based workshops to support students’ success towards completing their academic, professional, and personal goals. I provided guidance through accessible and dedicated student leaders, partnering with a variety of UXX departments to facilitate student transfers. I helped to increase the visibility of our services and worked with many, diverse social and academic groups.

It has been a special privilege to use my Russian language skills while serving with Wellness Works, helping Russian-American veterans and their families in particular to provide a solid support base for the returning soldier for his or her transition to civilian life.  Working in support of the intake coordinators we assist with workshops concerning family therapy/counseling and trauma resiliency training.  I led a Russian-speaking group. I also assisted with acupuncture, cranial sacral therapy, and self-empowerment/wellness exercises.

I am now completing my Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of XXXX, Los Angeles and have done so in only two years by studying year round. At the center of my world stand clinical practice and policy, substance abuse and recovery, behavioral health care, and especially the mental health care of the elderly members of our community. I served on the board of a non-profit organization at UXXX called, The Youth Movement Against Alzheimer’s; we promoted awareness and understanding of Alzheimer’s Disease by providing high school and college-age students with opportunities for volunteering, becoming involved in clinical research, and fundraising, with the ultimate goal of spreading compassion and empathy for the elderly. I have also volunteered at homeless shelters.

My greatest contribution as a social worker will probably be helping the increasing number of Americans with Alzheimer’s, more and more people are succumbing to the memory loss that erases the precious moments of one’s life. A fading memory not only makes individuals lonely and secluded, but also dependent on others to perform daily tasks. Their caretakers have to stay by their side every minute of every day, resulting in physical and emotional fatigue for the caretakers and limited social interaction for the seniors. Working with the TimeOut Program, I was paired with a senior who has Alzheimer’s and spent time with them three hours every week at the XXXX Adult Day Care and Caregiver Support Center. We participate in various activities to enjoy ourselves and build strong, lasting relationships. Not only does this helped the seniors to manage their loneliness better, and provided me with an amazing experience at the same time that I was able to give the caregivers some time off. Meeting every week and sharing stories has allowed us to form strong bonds with the seniors.

My hobbies include: meditation, fitness training, running, and reading books with emphasis on human behavior and progressive social change, all of which will help me to become the finest MSW professional possible.

I thank you for considering my application to Social Work at UXX.

MSW Social Work Purpose Statement Dementia