Geriatric Social Work initiatives at Nepal School of Social Work
Nepal School of Social Work (NSSW) is the joint initiative of Kadambari Memorial College initiated in 2005 (Purbanchal University affiliate ) and Nepal College of Development studies initiated in 2007 (Tribhuvan University affiliate). Nepal School of Social Work as an educational and networking institution came into existence by a team of young scholars from Nepal and India, who felt the need for promoting social work education and training in Nepal and in the south Asia region.
NSSW has been working with different national, regional and international agencies to further strengthen social work as a recognised profession in Nepal. To meet its goals NSSW has been also actively involved in policy based research since 2005. To cite a few faculty and students of NSSW carried out ground breaking study on Politics of International Children Adoptions, in 2010 it has offered a course on Voluntarism and Social Work and also initiated a geriatric social work to contribute to ageing issues in Nepal. To carry this work forward NSSW has been actively connecting with ageing centres by placing its social work students in the old aged homes, day care centres in order to fulfil their requirement of field study and also to gain insights in to ageing issues in depth. The students are encourages to take up ageing issues as their research priorities. This had lead to another pioneering Joint research study in mapping the service gap in ageing sector in Nepal, supported by Dr.Parker of Liver Pool John Moors University and Dt.Pant of Liver Pool University, UK and Ageing Nepal.
Activities regarding ageing issues :
The college has successfully conducted series of orientation sessions on ageing issues to its students, faculty members and practitioners during 2005-2011.
The social work students were placed since 2005 to various old age homes and NGO's working to address issues of elderly and also to gain geriatric social work skills
The 2011 batch of students during their orientation session were took for field study in Pashupati Bridha Ashram to internalize the life and living arrangements of elderly by the state.
NSSW has been conducting research on 7 broad emerging areas by the students and faculty members: The ongoing research titles and name of students are listed below.
1. Elder women and causes for living in old age homes byPramila Regmi
2. Elderly perception on children's behaviour by Namrata Shrestha
3. Retirement plans of government officers in Nepal by Gita Bhattarai
4. Effect of Youth migration on well being of Ageing population in Rural Nepal by Ashish Magar
5. Senior citizens and allowances by Tabita Nepali
6. Active Ageing by Reecha Karki
7. Old Age Allowance: A study on Usage and Challenges by Amit Yadav
NSSW has recently successfully conducted study on Ageing in Nepal: Mapping the role of Service providers in meeting the needs of elderly. This study was done by the team members of Nepal School of Social Work on the basis of field survey in Kathmandu, Biratnagar and Pokhara. This study was conducted under the support of Associate Professor Dr. Sara Parker of John Moores University and Dr. Bijan Pant of Liverpool University funded by British Academia and coordinated by Ms.Subarna Pandey. Faculty members Ms. Pratigna Neupane, Ms. Kriti Bhattarai and Associates Dal shahi and Pradep Giri were actively involved in field studies and advisory support provided by Pranita Udas. As a result we are able to successfully conducted research dissemination program on 15th December 2011. This session started with welcome remarks by the Director, Dr. B. R. Nikku and Dr. Parker shared the objective of the research. There were six presentations including both by students and faculty members of Nepal School of Social Work. This remarkable event was held at Siddhi Memorial Foundation. The participant of the program were members from NGO's, INGO, Academicians from Nepal and UK, Media, NSSW members and Students. There were more than 35 participants from various organizations.
To continue these efforts NSSW is planning to organise a course in support with Ageing Nepal and other like minded institution in Age care management for Age practitioners and care assistants. NSSW is also an active member of the THIRD AGE group that is been formed in 2011 and would like to continue empirical research in the ageing sector.