Assessment of Dementia and Caregiving for Afghan Immigrant Elders
Updates on Dementia Conference 2015
Aida Shirazi, Ph.D. MS. R.Ph.
Stanford Geriatric Education Center
Aida Shirazi has a Ph.D in Community Health Education and Health Promotion and Medical Anthropology. She also received her BS in Pharmacy and an M.S in nutrition sciences. Dr. Shirazi has worked extensively with the Afghan and Iranian immigrant and refugee communities for over 15 years. She is fluent in both spoken and written Farsi. As a researcher with UCB, she is the Program Director of the NIH funded “Afghan Women’s Breast Health Program” focusing on reducing disparities in early detection of cancer in Alameda County by using faith based and faith placed intervention and Community Based Participatory methods. As part of her community involvement she has trained community navigators and health advisors focusing on the needs of the Afghan community. Aida is currently working on developing a model of breast cancer navigation and education program for this population. She uses the Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach, and employs local knowledge in the understanding of health problems in order to determine whether religious, cultural impediments and their interaction, along with other psycho-social factors, preclude Afghan immigrant communities from learning about their health care and utilizing existing services. She works closely with community based organizations that provide services for the Afghan community. As a member of the SGEC she has been working on developing a module to educate health care providers regarding the assessment of Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in the Afghan community.
Many thanks to:
Home Instead Senior Care
Tender Rose HomeCare
Home Care Assistance
Care Indeed
Sequoia Hospital Dignity Health
Kensington Senior Living
Ombudsmen Services of San Mateo County
Partners/Planning Committee:
Allyson Rosen, MIRECC VA Palo Alto
Terri Huh, GRECC VA Palo Alto
Blake Scanlon, Stanford / VA Aging Clinical Research Center, MIRECC
Ann Blick Hamer, Stanford Geriatric Education Center
Dolores Gallagher-Thompson, Stanford Geriatric Education Center
Elizabeth Edgerly, Alzheimer’s Association
Blanca Vazquez-Arias, Alzheimer’s Association
Pauline Martinez, Alzheimer’s Association
Nicole Howell, Contra Costa County Ombudsman
Michelle Venegas, Family Caregiver Alliance
Tsai Family and the staff of Crowne Plaza Hotel
Produced by
Jack Downey
Media Coordinator
Stanford Geriatric Education Center (SGEC)