Rosa Marina Afonso

Rosa Marina Afonso is an Associate Professor with Tenure at the Department of Psychology and Education, University of Beira Interior (Portugal). She directs courses on Person-Centered Care: An Alternative Approach to Older Adult Care and Psychological Assessment and Intervention with People with Dementia. Her work focuses on dementia care, aging populations, neuropsychological interventions, and person-centered care models. She has contributed to developing assessment tools like the Capacity Assessment Instrument–Health and Person-centered Care Assessment Tool (P-CAT) for Portuguese populations. Her research includes cross-cultural studies on reminiscence therapy, pandemic impacts on elderly health, and end-of-life care practices in residential facilities. She has also explored centenarian health profiles and the role of emotional intelligence in well-being.

Her research spans over 50 peer-reviewed articles since 2018, addressing topics such as cognitive assessment norms, ageism in healthcare, and environmental factors affecting sleep in aging populations. She collaborates internationally on projects like the REMINDER program (neuropsychological lifestyle interventions) and Mystreets (VR-based cognitive stimulation). Her work emphasizes practical applications in long-term care facilities and policy-relevant insights on aging challenges.

Dr. Afonso’s academic activities include teaching courses on psychogerontology, adult development psychology, and medical psychology. She actively participates in institutional initiatives to improve care quality and address societal aging needs through interdisciplinary research and evidence-based practices.