Social Health in the Case of Dementia: An International Perspective

Sunday, November 6, 2022

10:00 AM – 11:30 AM ET

Location: 201 CC

CE: 1.5

Chair(s)

Karin Wolf-Ostermann, PhD

Professor
Institute of Public Health and Nursing Sciences
University of Bremen
Bremen, Bremen, Germany

Slides

Co-Chair(s)

Myrra Vernooij-Dassen, PhD

Professor emeritus
Faculty of Medical Sciences
Radboud University
Nijmegen, Gelderland, Netherlands

Discussant(s)

KA

Kristine Ajrouch, PhD

Research Professor
Sociology
Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilnati, Michigan, United States

Individual Symposium Abstract First Author(s)

Myrra Vernooij-Dassen, PhD

Professor emeritus
Faculty of Medical Sciences
Radboud University
Nijmegen, Gelderland, Netherlands
Toni Antonucci, PhD

Elizabeth M. Douvan Collegiate Professor of Psychology
Life Course Development
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
Isabelle van der Velpen, MSc

PhD Candidate
Epidemiology
Erasmus MC
Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
Karin Wolf-Ostermann, PhD, FGSA (she/her/hers)

Full Professor
Universität Bremen
Bremen, Bremen, Germany

Dementia is one of the major age-related societal challenges and causes enormous demands for persons living with dementia (PlwD) and their families. We do not understand the origins of this multifactorial syndrome and there is still no cure for dementia. New thinking by the exploration of paradigms has scope to improve knowledge about this complex condition. Social health can be understood as a driver for stimulating the use of cognitive reserve through active facilitation and utilization of the individual’s capacities. It allows to slow cognitive impairment or to maintain cognitive functioning in old age and therefore seems to be a promising approach to a better understanding of the developmental mechanism of dementia.In this international symposium we therefore aim to explore the role of social health in the onset and progress of dementia. The first presentation will present a new framework on understanding social health in dementia. The second presentation will describe convoys of care in a family based culturally sensitive ADRD caregiving intervention reducing care burden and family conflicts. The third presentation reports on the role of immune system and neurodegeneration markers in the association between social health and cognitive brain aging in older adults. The final presentation presents newly derived results from a mixed research synthesis on underlying mechanisms of the interrelation of social health and cognitive functioning, elaborated by the international SHARED-consortium. Our discussant will synthesize the research findings and lead a discussion of future directions for research and practice to successfully fight challenges in dementia care.

Learning Objectives:

to gain an understanding of the concept of social health in dementia care
to better understand the complex social interactions between PlwD and their environment by integrating different theoretical frameworks
to guide future research on social health and its implementation into dementia care practice

Presentations:

10:00 AM – 11:30 AM ET

Conceptual Advancement for Social Health in Dementia Research
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Myrra Vernooij-Dassen, PhD – Radboud University
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM ET

Convoys of Care
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Toni C. Antonucci, PhD – University of Michigan
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM ET

Social Health and Immune System Imbalance: Sex-Specific Associations and Causal Links to Brain Aging
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Isabelle F. van der Velpen, MSc – Erasmus MC
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM ET

Mapping the Interplay of Social Health and Cognitive Functioning: A Mixed Research Knowledge Synthesis
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Karin Wolf-Ostermann, PhD – University of Bremen