Social Workers Across Generations Agree: Experience Matters

When Elizabeth Milliken—known as “Bizza” in most circles—was a student in Boston College’s Graduate School of Social Work in the 1960s, a professor of hers described the occupation she would soon undertake in a very succinct and memorable way. Dr. Mary Ella Robertson was a pioneer in the field of social work and called the discipline “both an art and a science.”

Bizza Milliken still uses this description from her beloved teacher to illustrate the robust skillset that social workers will need to be successful. “The science part is the information you gain so that you have good information to draw on,” she explains. “This is particularly true when you get into a crisis situation.”

“The art of it all is who you are,” says Bizza of Dr. Robertson’s perspective on social work. ”Are you able to interact with people? Do you care about people? How are you able to be empathetic while also building a professional ability to do the job?”

“Yes, you have to establish good boundaries,” adds Melissa Waite—a fellow social worker nearly five decades Bizza’s junior. On this day in mid-March, Bizza holds court in the living room of the St. John’s Meadows cottage she has shared with her husband Jim in Rochester, New York since 2016. Melissa—an elder advocate tasked with helping independent living residents like Bizza and Jim connect with the services and supports they will need to age in place for as long as possible—has stopped by for one of her regular check-ins with Milliken. Melissa knows how valuable it is to have such close access to Bizza’s wisdom and experience. “To have friends who are social workers that you can talk to and run things by is really important,” Melissa says, and she considers Bizza one of those people she can count on.

Dispelling the idea that “anyone can be a social worker”

“I was a good teacher,” remembers Bizza. Yet, her employer at the time had other ideas in mind. As one of the Sisters of St. Joseph teaching at a catholic school, Bizza did find that “convent life was getting to be restraining” and she yearned for work that more greatly benefited those who were less fortunate. Thus, the timing worked out for her to pursue a Master’s degree in social work, funded by money set aside specifically by Rochester’s Catholic Family Center.

“It was a two-year program,” she says of her time at Boston College. “I learned a lot about myself and who I was.” Because there seemed to be few undergraduate programs specializing in social work at the time, she sensed that many people she came across seemed to view the occupation as one into which just about anyone could jump. “That’s always been one of my biggest pet peeves,” Bizza says. “It’s always bugged me, but maybe now that there are more of us (with greater education and training) it has become more recognized as a legitimate profession.”

Melissa Waite—who has served as elder advocate at St. John’s for about a year following stints as a social worker with New York State’s Elder Abuse Prevention Program and an area Office for the Aging—sometimes senses that same outdated view of social work. “People usually don’t realize how specific our education is,” says Waite. “They don’t always realize all that we do.”

Despite working as social workers in different eras, Melissa and Bizza often find common ground as they compare their individual experiences. Both cite the supervision they received through their schooling (Melissa also received a graduate degree in social work, hers from University of Buffalo) and early social work roles. Towards the end of her career, Bizza was even asked to teach at colleges locally, but declined. Upon hearing this, Melissa chimes in excitedly. “Oh, I would have loved to have you as a professor,” she says.

Social workers supporting older adults: then and now

“I started at Highland (Hospital in Rochester) in 1971 and I was there until 1988. At that point, we had a legitimate department and a team of five social workers,” says Bizza. “It was a lot of long-term care (placement) because of the huge geriatric population in Rochester,” says Bizza, who was also intimately involved in other family services in her Highland Hospital role. She explains that during the 1970s and into the 80s, many hospitals still had in-house long-term care units. “That was when nursing homes were discharging multiple (residents) to the hospital and then refusing to take them back,” she says. Over the years she partnered with leaders across the aging services industry to try and develop programs that could solve the problems of the day.

Some of the programs Bizza helped spearhead were implemented, while others fell by the wayside. Still, she felt a certain spirit of collaboration with others in the aging services field, including doctors and hospital and long-term care administrators. Bizza even partnered with then St. John’s President Vince Parks to improve the discharge process to nursing homes. It is clear that she felt it was important that social work had a seat at the table and that her voice was heard.

Today there are an estimated 140,000 social workers specializing in geriatrics across the United States and one constant throughout both Bizza Milliken and Melissa Waite’s eras has been the growing need for more licensed social workers to support a constantly growing older adult population. That trend has continued as communities like St. John’s Meadows offer the services of elder advocates to help residents access needed services.

Melissa Waite is one of two elder advocates supporting St. John’s independent living residents and she and colleague Hannah are among the busiest staff members across the organization. For the moment, that suits Melissa just fine. “There is so much to do and so much to learn,” she says of her busy role. “You can never get bored.”

Bizza Milliken calls her and her husband’s move to St. John’s Meadows “the best retirement plan we could have thought up.” One thing is for sure: fellow residents living in cottages on the south part of the campus reap the potential benefits of having a skilled set of eyes and ears looking out for them. Milliken has seen firsthand how the needs of independent living residents like her have increased since she made the move over six years ago and she credits the elder advocates for working quickly and effectively to help residents connect with needed supports.

Bizza is certainly one to speak up if she feels one of her neighbors is not getting the support they need. Still, she is quick to compliment Melissa and her team for their diligence.  “You guys are immediately involved and get in right away to start working with their families,” she says of the elder advocates. “That’s one of the keys to being a good social worker. We learn how to find out about what resources are available and we show people how to access them.”