Merl Hokenstad. Photo courtesy of Case Western Reserve University.

The elderly should be given more retirement options, including the ability to continue to work part-time or start small businesses in their homes or communities, a social work expert said.

National Association of Social Workers member Merl Hokenstad, Phd, ACSW, is studying how aging is handled in various countries to come up with a best practice approach, according to this article in News Medical.

For instance, in Norway families get public support that enables them to keep elderly relatives at home. In the Netherlands older citizens are given a full assessment of needs to keep them living independently.

“My goal is to study what other countries are doing and suggest implications for the United States,” said Hokenstad, who is a social work professor in aging from the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University.

Hokenstad is also lead author of “The United Nations Plans for a Future Free of Ageism and Elder Invisibility,” published in the spring issue of the Journal of American Society on Aging. This study looks at challenges the United Nations faces in taking care of the world’s rapidly aging population.

To learn more about how social workers help the elderly visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Seniors and Aging website.