About Us

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.

The Center for Mental Health and Aging

The mission of The University of Alabama's Center for Mental Health and Aging (CMHA) is to develop new knowledge, test new interventions, and disseminate information related to mental health and aging. Through applied interdisciplinary research, the CMHA promotes improved quality of life for older adults.

Faculty and students from the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Social Work, the Capstone College of Nursing, the Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration, the College of Engineering, the College of Human Environmental Sciences, and the College of Community Health Sciences are involved with the CMHA.

Research projects span CMHA's four focus areas

I. Elder Caregiving

Interventions to alleviate stress and burden among Alzheimer's disease caregivers
Grandparents as caregivers
Intervention to help aging parents of children with severe mental illness
Quality of life among family caregivers and relinquishing the caregiver role
Improving middle-aged children's abilities to care for their aging parents
Caregivers of older adults with severe mental illness
Siblings' experiences with long-distance parental caregiving
Religiousness and positive aspects of Alzheimer's disease caregiving

II. Mental Health of Rural Elders

Cognitive correlates of quality of life among rural older adults
Intervention to assist rural caregivers of dementia patients
Home delivered mental health services for rural aged
Telemedicine and rural health problems
Interventions to improve quality of life of rural elders receiving health care
Rural eldercare
Use of the Internet for health information by rural Alabama households
Barriers to older rural women seeking help for domestic abuse

III. Quality of Care in Institutional Settings

Agitated nursing home residents with dementia at end of life
Pain assessment among cognitively impaired elders
Staff assignment and quality of care in nursing homes
Behavioral symptoms and resident characteristics in nursing homes
Understanding differences among Alabama nursing homes
Factors associated with nursing assistant turnover
Quality of life of assisted living facilities
Aggressive behavior in patients with dementia

IV. Palliative Care and End of Life Issues

End-of-life care choices of prisoners
Building legacies with seriously ill people and family members
Family involvement in evaluating functional capacity to consent to end-of-life treatments
Family members' experiences with transitioning to hospice care
Adult protective service workers preparedness to work with end-of-life situations
Social workers' end-of-life care educational needs
Legacy online storytelling and palliative care
Hospice usage in VA long term care facility
Therapy for discomfort among dementia patients

V. Support