AGING101
Rita Ghatak, PhD
Rita Ghatak, PhD
Dr. Ghatak has been actively working on health and access issues for older adults since her early education in New Delhi, India. Working extensively in the field of aging with direct care, research and education, she was most recently the Founder/Director of Aging Adult Services at Stanford University Medical Center. She directed the programs of Care Coordination, Geriatric Health, Home Technology, Memory Support, Caregiver Education, Chronic Disease Self-Management to name a few. She was the recipient of the prestigious Isaac Stein Award for Compassionate Care at Stanford University Medical Center in 2008. She is a published psychologist/gerontologist and is an Associate Director of Optimal Aging Center, www.optimalagingcenter.com.
She is a board member/advisor for entities such as the NIH-Stanford Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC), TeleVisit, a new-age technology company, the Silicon Valley Age Friendly, Dementia Friendly initiative, few Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRC’s) and health systems. She has presented at multiple national and international conferences.
In 2016, she and her team won the noteworthy Malinda Mitchell award at Stanford, for their innovative work on Delirium. She started the Memory Support Program at Stanford which is now a published national model and follows patients with this dreaded syndrome through the continuum of care.
From 2001 to 2005, Dr Ghatak worked with the founder of the National Institute on Aging, Dr. Robert Butler, and was the COO of Stree, an international non-profit for women’s health. From 1988 to 2001, she was the CEO of ‘Older Adults Care Management’ (OACM), a health care company funded by Eugene and Rose Kleiner (of Kleiner Perkins). OACM was a pioneer in defining models of home care and care management for older adults. She teaches several courses nationally and internationally on navigating health systems, dementia support, delirium, caregiver health, care transitions, women’s preventive health, and healthy aging. She has authored several chapters and articles, conducts research, and is involved in policy planning towards making communities age friendly.
Dr. Ghatak completed her post-doctoral research at Stanford and completed her BA, MA, M.Phil./PhD from New Delhi, India. She actively volunteers at eldercare facilities helping with care models, domestic violence advocacy groups and in family shelters along with active mentoring of high school students and at-risk women. She is a part of many professional networks that help mentor young women in building business strategies and self-confidence.
Few Relevant Talks and Articles:
NEW:
- Gallagher-Thompson, D., Choryan Bilbrey, A., Apesoa-Varano, E., Ghatak, R., Kim, K. K., & Cothran, F. (2020). Conceptual Framework to Guide Intervention Research Across the Trajectory of Dementia Caregiving. The Gerontologist, 60(Supplement_1), S29 - S40 https://academic.oup.com/gerontologist/article/60/Supplement_1/S29/5735603
- Alzheimer Society International Congress 2019, February 18 - 21, 2019 San Francisco Airport Crowne Plaza.
WORK SHOP: “Effective Interventions for Depression in Dementia Family Caregivers: Review and Recommendations” Barbara Sommer MD- Associate Professor in Psychiatry, Emerita Dept. of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Stanford Univ. School of Medicine “Psychiatric Treatment of the Patient with Dementia: Concerns in Treating the Caregiver” Rita Ghatak, Ph.D- Former Director, Stanford Aging Adult Services. Associate Director, Optimal Aging Center “Continuum of Care for Families Facing Dementia” Coffee Break Dolores Gallagher-Thompson, PhD, ABPP Board Certified in Clinical Psychology and Geropsychology Professor Emerita, Dept. of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Stanford Univ. School of Medicine “ Using CBT and Other Forms of Psychotherapy to Reduce Depression in Family Caregivers.”
- Alzheimer Society International Congress 2019, February 18 - 21, 2019 San Francisco Airport Crowne Plaza.
WORK SHOP: “Effective Interventions for Depression in Dementia Family Caregivers: Review and Recommendations” Barbara Sommer MD- Associate Professor in Psychiatry, Emerita Dept. of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Stanford Univ. School of Medicine “Psychiatric Treatment of the Patient with Dementia: Concerns in Treating the Caregiver” Rita Ghatak, Ph.D- Former Director, Stanford Aging Adult Services. Associate Director, Optimal Aging Center “Continuum of Care for Families Facing Dementia” Coffee Break Dolores Gallagher-Thompson, PhD, ABPP Board Certified in Clinical Psychology and Geropsychology Professor Emerita, Dept. of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Stanford Univ. School of Medicine “ Using CBT and Other Forms of Psychotherapy to Reduce Depression in Family Caregivers.”
- Rita Ghatak’s Chapter in:
Ethnicity and the Dementias 3rd Edition
Gwen Yeo (Editor), Linda A. Gerdner (Editor), Dolores Gallagher-Thompson (Editor)
From Amazon: The purpose of this book is to disseminate “best practice” models of
treatment for the common mental health problems of late life, so that evidence-based
practice will become the norm (rather than the exception) when working clinically with
older adults. Each chapter contains reviews of the empirical literature focusing on studies
conducted with elders; then they emphasize how CBT can be applied most effectively to
that specific patient population. Case studies illuminate practice recommendations, and
issues of diversity are likewise highlighted whenever possible. In recent years, the literature
on the topic of ethnic and racial issues in Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias has increased dramatically.
At the same time, the need for cultural competence in all of geriatric care, including dementia care, is increasingly being acknowledged. Dementia is a large societal problem affecting all communities, regardless of race or ethnicity, and understanding dementia for specific groups is tremendously important for both clinical knowledge and for health planning as a nation.
This third edition of Ethnicity and the Dementias offers invaluable background information in this area, while also examining how those suffering from dementia and their family members respond or adapt to the challenges that follow. Thoroughly updated and revised throughout, the book features contributions from leading clinicians and researchers in the field, with particular attention given to genetic and cultural factors related to dementia, effective prevention and treatment strategies, and issues in caregiving and family support. Chapters offer specific recommendations for dementia care in eleven ethnic/racial groups, as well as suggestions for working effectively with LGBTQ families.
Providing a truly comprehensive resource on ethnicity and dementia, and including reflections on emerging trends and the future of caregiving, this new edition is ideal reading for clinicians, educators, researchers, policy makers, and families, in search of the most current ethnogeriatric findings.
- Performing the Balancing Act As Your Parents Age - https://youtu.be/gxpfOKNcahw
- Helping Parents Age with Grace : – curious.com. https://curious.com/conversations/helping-parents-age-with-grace
- Ghatak, R, Martin, M, et al. (2018). Treatment and Management of Dementia in the Context of Family Care, Ethnicity and the Dementias 3rd Edition, Taylor and Francis, Editors Gallagher, D., Yeo, G., In Press.
- Clark, J. L., Phoenix, S., Bilbrey, A. C., Ghatak, R. et al (2018). Cultural competency in dementia care: An African American case study. Clinical Gerontologist, 41(3), 255-260.
- Clark, J. L., Phoenix, S., Bilbrey, A. C., Ghatak, R. et al (2018). Cultural competency in dementia care: An African American case study. Clinical Gerontologist, 41(3), 255-260.
- Inside Dementia: https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-clinics/aging-adult-services/memory-loss-dementia-alzheimers-disease.html/presentation-mode/stanford-health-now/2011/ghatak-dementia
- Stanford Health Care addresses needs of an aging population: https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2016/09/stanford-prepares-to-address-the-needs-of-an-aging-population.html
- Pilot on Transitional Care: https://stanfordhealthcare.org/health-care-professionals/medical-staff/medstaff-update/2016-october/transitional-care-reduces-pneumonia-readmissions.html
- Dementia Support Program for Patients & Families in a Tertiary Hospital Setting: Description and Survey. Stanford University School of Medicine, Neuroscience Forum, June 6, 2014, Stanford Hospital & Clinics, Stanford, CA.
- Utilization of Home Visits and In-home Monitoring for Heart Failure Patients: A Pilot, 2016 Annual NICHE Conference, April 17-20, 2016, Chicago, IL.
- A Unique Support Model for Dementia Patients and Their Families in a Tertiary Hospital Setting: Description and Preliminary Data. Clinical Gerontologist, 34:160-172, 2011.
- Supporting the Transition into Older Adulthood
- Exercise after 50 http://stanfordmedicine.org/communitynews/2009summer/exercise.html
- Family Meetings, Chapter in Textbook titled Care Manager and Aging -Published by Jones and Bartlett 2007.
- Effects of an Innovative Training/Intervention Program on Alzheimer’s Disease Patients and their Caregivers. Gerontologist. Vol. 38, October 1998.
- Patient Care Planning Involvement and Health Outcomes. Gerontologist. Vol. 37, October 1997.
- Better Health through Care Planning. Rehab & Community Care Management. Summer 2002, 40-42.
- Yeo, G., Gerdner, L. & Gallagher-Thompson, D. (2019). Ethnicity and dementias. Routledge. Chapter -Treatment And Management Of Dementia In The Context Of Family Care - Cassidy-Eagle, E., Rita Ghatak, R., Dunn, L., Martin, M.- Continuum of Care for Families Facing Dementia" Ghatak, R., presented at Alzheimer Society International Congress 2019, ASIC 2019, February 18-21, 2019 San Francisco http://alzint.com/PDF/ASIC-2019-program.pdf
- Clark, J. L., Ghatak, R., McManis, T., Bilbrey, A. C., & Gallagher-Thompson, D. (2017). Effectiveness of a Collaborative Continuum of Care Model for Patients and Families with Dementia. Innovation in aging, 1(Suppl 1), 162. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6242503/
- Clark, J. L., Ghatak, R., Phoenix, S., Bilbrey, A. C., McManis, T., R. (2018). Cultural competency in dementia care: An African American case study. Clinical Gerontologist, 1-6.
- Avenidas CareAv Partners announces new Care Forum https://www.avenidas.org/conferences-events/2019-avenidas-care-forum/