Farewell

A hundred and fifty years ago there lived a woman named Sono, whose devotion and purity of heart were respected far and wide. One day a fellow Buddhist, having made a long trip to see her, asked, “What can I do to put my heart at rest?”

Sono said, “Every morning and every evening, and whenever anything happens to you, keep on saying, ‘Thank you for everything. I have no complaint whatsoever.’”

The man did as he was instructed, for a whole year, but his heart was still not at peace. He returned to Sono, crestfallen. “I've said your prayer over and over, and yet nothing in my life has changed; I'm still the same selfish person as before. What should I do now?”

Sono immediately said, “Thank you for everything. I have no complaint whatsoever.”

On hearing these words, the man was able to open his spiritual eye, and returned home with a great joy. (Mitchell, 1993, p. 178)

This is my last issue as Editor of Journal of Gerontological Social Work. The work has been a privilege and a joy.

I am especially grateful for the opportunity to team up with the consummate professionals on the journal's editorial team. With skill and humor, our Managing Editor, Carmen Morano has kept us all on track, managing the countless details (and interpersonal dynamics) of the journal's operation. Marla Berg-Weger has chaired the JGSW Executive Committee, ensuring that key decisions about the journal are made in a democratic and timely manner. Nancy Kropf and Joan Davitt have championed the practice forum and policy forum, respectively, while Anissa Rogers has coordinated our book reviews like clockwork.

We have benefitted hugely from the talent and commitment of the Taylor & Francis staff. Laura Fisher, our Production Editor, has gently shepherded each issue to completion. Her patience and editorial skill have certainly enhanced my editorials. Acquisitions Editor Barton Dudlick has given us editorial oversight, guidance, and support. Our Marketing Manager, Veronica Sydnor, has been tireless in her efforts to get the word out about JGSW.

We have much to look forward to. Our new editor, Michelle Putnam, is a talented social work scholar with a track record of editorial success. She edited our first special issue on aging with disabilities and her work has been a model for subsequent special issues. We have three coming up: an issue on LGBT aging, edited by Nancy Giunta and Noell Rowan; one on caregiving, edited by Debra Sheets, Kathy Black, and Len Kaye; and an issue on older veterans, with David Albright and Eugenia Weiss as editors.

As for me, in the coming year I will support Michelle to ensure a smooth transition. I'll also get cracking on a new text tentatively titled Aging Today: An Interdisciplinary Introduction to Gerontology.

INTRODUCTION TO THE ISSUE

The issue opens with a piece by Faith Pratt Hopp and her colleagues (2014) at Wayne State University. They conducted interviews with African Americans who suffered from heart failure and with their caregivers to shed light on factors that influence the decision to seek hospital care. Then Brian Paul Masciadrelli (2014) reports findings from a Gero-Ed BEL project conducted State University of New York at Fredonia. He suggests that a combination of classroom and experiential learning enhances the knowledge, skills, and values of social work students. Louanne Bakk and her colleagues (2014) looked at the impact of the Medicare Part D coverage gap on older adults with a mental illness. They remind us that the gap will persist until 2020 under the Affordable Care Act, and warn that (among other problems) this discontinuity can interfere with the medication adherence of older adults with mental illness. N. Jennifer Klinedinst and Barbara Resnick (2014) explore the relationship between depression and volunteering. Based on a survey of 127 residents they suggest that volunteering may increase an older adult's sense of usefulness and, by increasing physical activity, may reduce depressive symptoms. The issue closes with a book review by Moon Choi and Stefana I. Moldovan (2014). They offer a useful description of Social Insurance and Social Justice: Social Security, Medicare and the Campaign Against Entitlements, a stirring defense of solidarity in this neoliberal era.

Amanda S. Barusch

Editor, JGSW