The Power of Intervention: Tackling Alzheimer’s and Mental Health Disparities in Aging Populations

TL;DR

This paper highlights the work of Dr. María P. Aranda, who focuses on improving mental health and Alzheimer’s care for aging populations through interventions and reducing health disparities.

Contribution

The paper introduces novel psychosocial interventions and recruitment strategies to address Alzheimer’s and mental health disparities in aging populations.

Findings

Dr. Aranda has developed effective randomized trials and ethnographic methods for underrepresented aging populations.

Her work emphasizes stakeholder engagement and innovative protocols to improve health equity in Alzheimer’s and mental health care.

Abstract

María P. Aranda, PhD, MSW, MPA, LCSW is an internationally-recognized social worker and sociobehavioral scholar in the fields of social work, gerontology, and health equity. She is Professor of Social Work with a joint appointment in Gerontology at the University of Southern California, and holds the Margaret W. Driscoll/Louise M. Clevenger Professorship in Social Policy and Administration. Dr. Aranda specializes in the area of medical and psychiatric comorbidity in adult and older adult populations specifically in the areas of Alzheimer’s disease, depression, psychosocial interventions for individuals and family care partners, health disparities and ADRD. Dr. Aranda is the Executive Director of the USC Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging. She has extensive experience in randomized trials, ethnographic methods, large-scale epidemiological research, stakeholder engagement, and innovative recruitment and retention protocols with underrepresented racial and ethnic groups in the US and international populations.