GROUP ANALYSIS PAPER (Term Paper)
I. Discussion of social problem in which use of a group might be an intervention method in Social Work Practice
a._____Population-at-risk: description (for my essay, itll be the older adult/elderly population)
b._____Research describing or analyzing the social condition of the population-at-risk (please discuss things such as elder abuse and physical/mental/emotional fragility, different needs than younger individuals, extra support needed as aging occurs, etc.)
c._____The social institutional systems interacting with the group members, i.e., economic, family, educational, religious, political, and social welfare (feel free to make up whatever here; mention things like many group members have a strong familial support system, but some older members in particular lack a family system as some of their family has already passed away, for economic, you can mention some group members receiving benefits such as Medicare and Medicaid, and veterans benefits, while others are independently financially wealthy/secure, mention that members are primarily of the catholic faith, and adhere strongly to this faith as they sought out a care facility that was specifically oriented toward the Catholic faith, and for social welfare, things such as the area agency on aging, which advocates for older adults, and other programs youd research, are perfect. Add in whatever else you feel fits here too!)
II.Discussion of present use of groups with the population identified, including review of appropriate issues
a._____Agency setting and / or organizational domain in groups system (this will be a catholic-faith based nursing and long term care home, and you can briefly describe what a nursing home is/services they provide, then discuss that there is a growth group within this nursing home that anyone living in the home can attend. It is a growth group because the emphasis is on not letting age make individuals weak and helpless, but helping them find ways, activities, crafts, etc., to remain active, to grow and develop themselves even as they get older. Please cite info on what a growth group is based on the Toseland & Rivas text, pages 24-25.)
b._____Role and responsibility of social worker or group leader within the group (here, you can say that the social worker for the nursing home is a co leader of the group along with the activities director, and that I, as a social work student, serve as a volunteer assistant to the group. Make up some responsibilities we have as leaders, such as researching and planning activities for group members, assigning tasks to group members such as providing snacks for the next meeting or researching transportation to the next group outing.)
c._____Described the group briefly (observations and opinions) (feel free to make up whatever here, based on that its an older adult population.)
III. Application of group theory to use of groups to combat social problems (please note that, for each number below, my teacher wants a description of the group youre making up for this assignment, and then the research from the three sources I added links to at the beginning of this, with the research either saying that this group is or is not like the textbooks cited and how or how not. Again, thats expected for each of the numbered points below, description as it relates to the group, and then evidence and citations of the answers as based off the textbooks.)
1. Type of group(Growth group for older adults to help them to not remain stagnant or decrease physically or mentally as they age but rather to build and grow in themselves, discover new talents, hobbies, etc. Youll use Toseland and Rivas pages 24-25 to describe this and cite from the book on how this group is or isnt like the growth groups described in this source.)
2. Setting, purpose / goals / objectives
3. Formation / composition / size / membership policies
4. Group role(s) / status / position / rank
5. Structure / subgroups
6. Values and norms
g. Communication pattern(s)
7. Decision-making process(es) / management of conflict
8. Leadership style: democratic / autocratic / laissez-faire?
9. Leadership: sources of actual power
10. Group activity or program development
11. Stage of group development
12. Group cohesion
13. Group evaluation and ending of group
14. Role of the social worker (thats me) in all of the above application
15. Individual member focus: interactions or comments by one specific individual in one of the group meetings (write about some things the nursing home social worker, who is the leader of this group, did or planned to do for a meeting.)
IIII. Summary and Recommendations
a. Summarize statements about the group theory characteristics and identify issues needing further study (summary of major points in paper, tying points back to the textbooks)
b. State what you would have done differently if you led the group
