by Chris Bryant, Suzanne Dowling and Bill Gerdes

In America, the population age 65 and older is expected to double by 2030. At that rate, this group is projected to comprise 20 percent of the population while utilizing 50 percent of the nation's health care resources.

This tremendous increase in the graying population of America has led to increased research in all areas of aging, and The University of Alabama has emerged as one of the nation's leaders for studies on aging.

Dr. Lucinda Roff, professor of social work, and Dr. Lou Burgio, professor of psychology and director of UA's Applied Gerontology Program, are among the leaders in these aging-research efforts — efforts that have led to the funding of the Center for Mental Health and Aging at The University of Alabama.

"What we're hoping to accomplish is to develop a focal point on the UA campus where researchers and practitioners of all disciplines concerned with mental health and aging can study, learn and teach together," said Roff who, along with Burgio, will serve as the center's co-director.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a public health agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, recently awarded UA a $500,000 grant to create the center.

Faculty and students from the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Social Work, the College of Nursing, the Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration and the College of Community Health Sciences will be involved.

"If you want to effectively address problems in aging, you have to understand it from an interdisciplinary approach," said Burgio. "The issues are multi-faceted."

"We want the center to be very user-friendly and to have real-life applications," Roff said. "We hope to be able to provide service to, and have interaction with, practitioners in Alabama, so we can be aware of what their needs are, and so we can share what's known throughout the world about the best practices.

"Also, we're training and developing new leaders for the future among our own graduate students in social work and psychology and other helping fields who will be strong scholars and practitioners to serve future generations of older people."

A major issue facing current, and most likely future, generations of the elderly is Alzheimer's disease. Burgio is the principal investigator in a project, funded by the National Institute on Aging and the National Institute of Nursing Research, that is designed to improve the well-being of the Alzheimer's caregiver while increasing his or her knowledge and skills in dealing with the patient.

Under the Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregivers' Health II, or REACH II, project, Burgio received some $1.2 million to study Alzheimer's caregivers within their homes. Overall, UA researchers have numerous federally funded research projects ongoing.

Spiritual Boosts

Dr. Martha Crowther, assistant professor of psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences, said the fields of psychology and medicine have begun realizing some of the health benefits associated with a person's religion and/or spirituality. A person's spirituality can play a positive role for those dealing with depression, anxiety, stress and even cancer and heart disease, she said. "The research is showing that it does make a difference in terms of coping," said Crowther. "It's the ability to believe in something outside of one's self. It really can be an effective tool to be used in treatment."

The UA psychology professor, who is also heavily involved in efforts to support grandparents who are the primary caregivers of their grandchildren, is researching ways to learn more about spirituality's impact, particularly among African-Americans, and how health care professionals might best be able to tap into this potentially underutilized resource.