Abstract
In an era driven by cost containment, demographic imperative, and uncertainty about public financing, social determinants of health have become the “new-old” focus of the field of aging. This increasing recognition of psychosocial and environmental factors as root causes of illness creates opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration among practitioners, educators, and researchers in aging. Tested practices from public health and social work are guiding the field to different partners, new interventions, and a better understanding of how we improve quality of life for our aging population. Expanding interprofessional care teams to include new roles for aging network and social work providers enables more coordinated care that integrates the family and community and is responsive to life circumstances that contribute to poorer health and wellbeing. This session will describe the evidence base for integrating health and social care and the policy and practice implications of this care transformation for our aging population.