Employees Look
into the Future
When Pastor Eric Norelius and
his congregation decided to care for a family of four orphaned children
in1865, there is no way they could have predicted what their act of mercy
would spark. Back then, the idea of "works of mercy" was brand new. Social
work as a profession didn't exist. The idea of an organization with the
size and capability of LSS would have been unimaginable.
To put into perspective how
long ago that really was, 1865 was the year that the U.S. Civil War ended.
General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant on April 9,
1865. Five days later, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Later that year,
the 13th Amendment would be ratified, abolishing slavery. There were only
36 states in the Union at the time. The State of Minnesota was seven years
old.
Elsewhere in the world in
1865, an English mathematician named Charles Dodgson was publishing
"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" under the pen name Lewis Carroll. An
Austrian monk named Gregor Mendel first presented his revolutionary ideas
on genetics through his work with pea plants, and was largely ignored for
another 35 years. Interestingly, William Booth
was founding the East London Revival Society that same year in England,
which was later renamed "The Salvation Army."
The first car would be
invented 21 years later in Germany. Indoor plumbing would not become the
norm in new houses for at least another 30 years. The first school of
social work in the U.S. opened at Columbia University 33 years later.
American women gained the right to vote 55 years later. The U.S.
Government entered the field of social work 65 years later, due to the
Great Depression.
So here we stand in 2005,
proud of our past history, but just as unaware of the future as Eric
Norelius. Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota has done good work for many
years, and there is certainly more to do. But do we really know what's in
store for LSS? What will the social service field look like in 10, 20, or
even 50 years from now? If change is the one constant, how will LSS change
(by choice or need) in order to fulfill the mission of expressing the love
of Christ for all people through acts of service?
There are a few trends to
consider. Because people are living longer, our population is aging. By
2030, one in five Americans will be over the age of 65. People who are now
between the ages 70 and 85 have 2.5 children to care for them, on average.
In 25 years, that age group will have an average of 1.5 children to care
for them. This country is also becoming increasingly diverse. People now
considered "minorities" will grow to 50% of the population in the U.S. by
2050, and will account for nearly 90 percent of the total estimated growth
of 131 million people in the U.S. in the next 45 years.
LSS asked its employees to
consider these trends within the context of the work they do and speculate
on the future. The responses received in return focused on: care for
seniors; services for youth; mental health; the role of technology, and
the subject of change itself. Here's what they said:
On the subject of services for
youth, staff worried about teen pregnancy and the cycle of poverty. "There
are many young people starting their own family without a clue as to the
implications of procreation," said Kathie Lundeen, Administrative
Specialist from Detroit Lakes. "They don't understand responsibility;
they, themselves, don't have independent living skills and don't know how
to nurture children. How can we expect physically and emotionally healthy
children to come from such parents? Programs aimed at these young people -
before children come into their lives as well as after the arrival of
children - will be strongly needed."
Brigette Anderson, HCLS
Manager, agreed. "If these children are being raised with poor guidance
and resources, what are they going to have to offer to their own children?
As an agency, we could strengthen our communities by providing ongoing
workshops on respect, empowerment and responsibility to at-risk youth,
create more volunteer opportunities for youth at risk, providing teen
parenting classes, and provide child care while parents attend school and
job training."
Many employees had something
to say about LSS services for seniors. "I see a one-stop shop so we could
assess them for their holistic needs and work with them on providing what
fits their situation," said Monica Douglas, Sr. Director, Senior Nutrition
Programs.
"Senior Nutrition will have
meals-on-wheels going out to [those who can't get out], and congregate
dining will take place in the restaurants for the younger seniors in most
locations. We will need to provide grocery shopping assistance, medication
management, and other services for them to stay in their homes as long as
possible, including counseling. When these options are no longer feasible,
we would move them into our Customized Living Services facilities. Managers would
handle all services in the geographic area, instead of handling one or
two, so we do not have gaps in the provision of services."
Emily Larson, Volunteer
Coordinator, Caregiver Respite Services, sees the role of volunteers in
that scenario a must. "I can foresee Lutheran Social Service assisting
with every aspect to keep seniors healthy and happy, living in their own
homes throughout Minnesota, both in rural and urban areas," she said. "The
need for volunteering will be even more important than ever with the
ever-increasing number of persons needing to be served."
Geography may play a part in
the increased need for senior services, particularly in rural Minnesota,
according to Tara Giese, Manager, Caregiver Respite. "Families are living
further and further apart," she said. "Younger family members tend to move
to the bigger cities. Even if seniors do have children, they may not be
close enough to provide care."
LSS provides counseling
services in many areas of the state. Debra Martin-Schloer, Clinical
Director in the Metro Area, was hopeful that accessibility to mental
health services would improve. "The highly fragmented mental health
service system would be replaced with streamlined pathways to mental
health care. Specifically, specialty mental health services would be
integrated into general medical and primary care settings, the human
services sector, and the voluntary support networks in the community," she
said.
Debra also thought that LSS
Counseling will, continually, better serve diverse populations by
"expanding responses and insights into multicultural experiences, with
improved understandings of racial and ethnic groups, histories,
traditions, beliefs, and value systems, resulting in competent and
sensitive services. Consumer-oriented mental health services will need to
be attentive to 'no one size fits all' and embrace alternative therapies,
emphasizing both mind and body wellness."
Immigration seems to be a
large part of future population growth. Because of that, "there will
probably be a significant need for more transitional housing, permanent
supportive housing, rent subsidies and ongoing case management," said Lori
Leysen, Manager at LSS Karibu House. "The refugee population is also going
to need even more culturally-specific programs to assist with housing,
education, employment, parenting, language, etc. They will need ongoing
case management to ensure their success. I foresee Lutheran Social Service
needing to expand their existing programs to provide services to these
increasing populations."
Joyce Hagen, Area Director for
HCLS in the Metro Area, wrote about the trend in social services toward
giving more choice to the consumer. "I think the future holds more
individual choice," she said. "A person may get a debit card from the
state government, and an approved agency will provide the services needed.
That person may get housing from one agency, and case management from
another. We will no longer have issues with billing, and individuals will
have more choice."
New technology will certainly
affect how any organization may operate. "In the near future,
organizations will move to a single integrated, secure repository of
information which will meet medical privacy and other regulatory
requirements," said Gary Kilgard, Sr. Director of Information Technology.
"Redundancy will be eliminated. Information will be readily accessible,
regardless of your location. Everything is web-based and wireless."
Many of these predictions
could be right, but many will be wrong. The future will be shaped by
governments, people, technology, peace, war, and the natural world in ways
that we can't imagine. We can only do what Eric Norelius did - see a need
and respond in a compassionate way.
