My Personal Goal to Help the Aging Community

Many experiences have led me to have a desire to become a social worker. First and foremost, coming from a large Hispanic family I was always taught to help and respect those around us, especially our elders. Most of my work experience has been in the financial sector, from working at banks, filing taxes and working in accounting offices. With a BS in Finance and Economics, MA in Public Administration and a natural talent for detail and organization. I have always had a passion for navigating complex systems and helping others. The only position I’ve held that hasn’t been hands on, helping others, has been at my current job as a Jr. Financial Analyst / Staff Accountant. It was here that I realized that my true passion in life is not necessarily in the financial sector. Instead, the common aspect that I have loved about my previous positions has been the ability to make a difference in my community by transferring knowledge to those that need assistance and guidance. I find great fulfillment and joy from helping others find solutions to their problems and providing them with the tools and resources necessary to become more self-sufficient.

My specific interest for helping elders peaked a few years ago when my paternal grandmother lost her main caregiver, which also happened to be her youngest son to a shootout with the authorities. Even though I had always been very close to her and often helped with administrative work such as filling out paperwork for insurance, doctor’s appointments, etc. The loss of her son took a tremendous toll on her, it was then that I started to be more hands on and involved with her health care and every day caregiving. During this period, I learned so much about the struggles of aging through conversations with her. Such as feeling alone, feeling like a burden, losing her independency, the fear of dying, etc. I had never truly stopped and thought about these struggles until I became one of her caregivers and she brought light to them.

The last few months of her life she spent in a nursing home, where I saw first-hand the abuse that our aging community are often victims of. I had the opportunity to talk to a lot of the residents there, and they were kind enough to share some of their experiences with me. From their own family neglecting them, to staff members becoming frustrated and abusing them, to others experiencing communication issues because of language barriers. During this same time, I was working at a bank in downtown Reno, because of the location of the bank it serves a large and diverse group of clients, especially a lot of low-income elderly people. Here I experienced a different, but equally important form of elder abuse and that was financial abuse, unfortunately the elder are a perfect target and it happens more often than not. It was during this time in my life that I knew I couldn’t just sit back and not do anything about it. I knew the best way to serve my community and make a real difference was by becoming a social worker.

The University of Nevada, Reno, Master of Social Work program focuses on diversity, creative problem solving, leadership and academic excellence. These values coupled with those of the National Association of Social Workers which focus on services, social justice, dignity, human relationships, integrity and competence will guide me to become the best advocate I can be to those in need. I believe in the respect for one another, I believe in social justice and I believe in being a voice to those that don’t have one. Whether it is for children, the elderly, the mentally ill or any of the underrepresented communities, it is our duty as members of society to do something about it. Reno is growing and expanding so fast meaning that our community needs our attention now more than ever. My personal goal is to help the aging community and policy change. However, the Advanced Generalist Practice program that UNR offers will provide me and prepare with a rounded set of skills that I will be able to apply to all social issues as well as help understand and adapt to the diverse community I will be working with.