When I began writing my Policy Practice Essay for class, I didn’t expect it to hit so close to home. But the more I researched, the more I realized that the policies we advocate for as social workers are deeply personal. They touch real people our neighbors, our clients, and in my case, the seniors I’ve had the privilege to serve in East County, San Diego.
As a former Long-Term Care Ombudsman and someone actively working with low-income seniors today, I’ve seen the gaps in our long-term care system firsthand. I’ve witnessed elderly individuals in mobile housing communities struggle to access the support they need not because they lack resilience or faith, but because the system wasn’t designed with them in mind. That’s why learning about and writing on the Senior Act of 2024 (H.R. 7605) stirred something in me. It wasn’t just policy it was personal (H.R.7605, 2024).
The SENIOR Act addresses critical needs by providing financial assistance to low-income seniors and investing in workforce development for long-term care providers (Bonvissuto, 2024). For seniors in underserved areas, this could mean the difference between receiving care at home versus ending up in a facility far from their community and loved ones. For the caregivers, it means better support, better training, and hopefully—greater dignity in the essential work they do. In class, we used Pawar’s 3Ps Model to examine how our personal values, the people we serve, and policy all intersect. This framework helped me realize how much my advocacy stems from my own story—from caring for seniors, witnessing injustice, and realizing I have a voice to do something about it (Pawar, 2019).
It also challenged me to reflect on my faith and calling. Scripture reminds us to “rise before the gray-headed and honor the presence of an old man” (Leviticus 19:32, New International Version, 2011) and that “whatever you did for one of the least of these… you did for me” (Matthew 25:40, New International Version, 2011). These verses are more than encouragement they’re a commission. They remind me that caring for the elderly is not only social work—it’s sacred work. Incorporating insights from scholars like Sherr and Jones (2019), I now understand even more deeply that effective policy practice requires more than good intentions. It requires competence, collaboration, and the courage to speak up for those whose voices are often ignored. It means marrying our values with action something the Senior Act strives to do.
This reflection taught me that policy isn’t abstract. It’s the bridge between our compassion and real change. And as social workers, especially those grounded in faith, we’re called not only to feel deeply but to act boldly. If you’re passionate about justice for the elderly or if you’ve ever wondered whether policy work really matters know that it does. The decisions made in Washington echo into homes, care facilities, and communities like the ones I serve every day.
We are called to stand in that gap—with wisdom, with advocacy, and with love.
Bonvissuto, K. (2024, March 11). Senior living affordability, workforce development at center of revamped SENIOR Act. McKnight’s Senior Living. https://www.mcknightsseniorliving.com/news/senior-living-affordability-workforce-development-at-center-of-revamped-senior-act/
H.R.7605 – 118th Congress (2023–2024): SENIOR Act of 2024. (2024, March 15). Congress.gov.https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7605
New International Version. (2011). BibleGateway.com. https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/New-International-Version-NIV-Bible/
Pawar, M. (2019). Social work and social policy practice: Imperatives for political engagement. The International Journal of Community and Social Development, 1(1), 15–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/2516602619833219
Sherr, M. E., & Jones, J. M. (2019). Introduction to competence-based social work: The profession of caring, knowing, and serving. Oxford University Press. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=5844763