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Symposium

Health Sciences

Presidential Symposium: Framing, Bridging, and Traversing Social Determinants of Health, Disparities, and Inequities in Older Adults

Friday, November 10, 2023
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET
Location: Florida Ballroom IV Marriott

In alignment with the theme of this year’s conference, Building Bridges>Catalyzing Research>Empowering All Ages, this symposium focuses on research that frames, bridges, and transverses various constructs of the social determinants of health, intersectional frameworks, and inequities that impact older adults at various times in life from mid to older adulthood through death. We start with a framework for how to consider social and structural conditions in which people live and the cumulative effects that an individual’s life course might impact their trajectory with Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias and their families. Continuing on with the theme of family, dementia, and caregivers, we delve into the differences in caregiver burden across and within gender and racial/ethnic groups, looking at the linkage with financial, emotional, and physical burdens. From there, we go on to explore whether there is an association between negative family interactions and mental health outcomes and discuss how those outcomes might vary by race and ethnicity. Building upon several concepts in these first three papers, we will discuss how one can evaluate the intersectional impact of race and gender on end-of-life outcomes including pain, anxiety/depression, patient autonomy, and overall care quality. Our last speaker will share intriguing, and somewhat unexpected findings related to social inequities on health from midlife to death and the impact of early exposure to socioeconomic disadvantages might have on disparities. Given the importance of reducing inequities to improve health outcomes, this HS section Presidential Symposium is sure to challenge and enhance our thinking.

Learning Objectives:

  • Discuss social and structural conditions and their impact on dementia patients and their families.
  • Evaluate the intersectionality of gender, race, ethnicity on family interactions, mental health outcomes, and end-of-life outcomes.
  • Describe how the impact of early exposure to socioeconomic disadvantages and social inequities affect disparities.

Presentations:

  • 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET
    A Framework for Considering Social and Structural Determinants of Health in Alzheimer's Disease Research and Care

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Shana D. Stites, PsyD , MS, MA (they/them/theirs) – University of Pennsylvania

  • 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET
    Differences in Caregiving Burden Across the Intersectionality of Race and Gender

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Ruotong Mona Liu, PhD – Oregon Health & Science University

  • 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET
    The Moderating Role of Race and Ethnicity Between Negative Family Interactions and Mental Health Among Older Adults

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Fei Wang, PhD (she/her/hers) – University of Tennessee Knoxville

  • 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET
    Social Inequities and the Impairment Paradox in Later Life

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Michal Engelman, PhD, MHS (she/her/hers) – University of Wisconsin-Madison