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Focus On: International Longevity Center West

Wed, 09/20/2000 - 12:00am — Karen Stevenson
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By Dr. David Lansdale, PhD

I am excited about this new section on ElderWeb, where I will feature national organizations that serve consumers, professionals, legislators, and others interested in the aging space. In this first article, I will interview Dr. Rita Ghatak, the recently appointed West Coast liaison for the International Longevity Center (ILC), an organization with headquarters in New York City. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Ghatak served as CEO to Older Adults Care Management, an organization which provides geriatric care management services for elderly people in the San Francisco Bay Area. Dr. Ghatak also has over 14 years experience in the field of gerontology, with a focus on direct services, research, and care management.

Q. Thank you for you time, Rita. Congratulations on your new appointment! I have been looking forward to this interview with you, featuring the ILC. Let's begin with the mission of the ILC.

A. The ILC-USA, Ltd. is a not-for-profit research, policy and education organization whose mission is to help societies address longevity and population aging in positive and productive ways and highlight older people's contribution to their families and society as a whole. The organization is part of a multinational research and education consortium, which includes centers in the US, Japan, Great Britain, France, and the Dominican Republic.

Q. Who founded the ILC?

A. The ILC was founded in 1990 in the USA by Robert N. Butler, M.D., and in Japan by Shigeo Morioka, Chairman of Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Company. The ILC-USA, Ltd. is a non-partisan 501 ?(3) corporation affiliated with the MountSiani-NYU Health System. Dr. Butler was the first director of the National Institute on Aging from 1975-1982, and in 1982, founded the nation's first department of geriatrics at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. An internationally recognized leader in the fields of gerontology and geriatrics, Dr. Butler is also a Pulitzer Prize winning author for his book, Why Survive? Being Old in America. The ILC also enjoys the dedication of wonderful Board and Honorary Board members that include John Glenn, Rosalyn Carter, Christine Cassel, and Rose Kleiner locally.

Q. What is the ILC strategy for addressing the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead as a result of significant gains in longevity, both in the United States and abroad?

A. The ILC achieves its mission by:

Conducting research and educational programs in the areas of health, work, family;
Drawing on the expertise of scholars from many disciplines, including demography, sociology, economics, humanities, ethics, medicine, and public health;
Working within the context of the total life cycle, taking into consideration the needs of all age groups, and encouraging intergenerational contact and understanding;
Raising awareness among public and private sector leaders, the media, and society in general about the impact of longevity and population aging on individuals and society.
Dr. Butler and Mr. Morioka have launched centers in France, the United Kingdom, and the Dominican Republic to achieve the mission of the ILC in additional locations around the world. Dr. Butler is currently working on several international projects in France, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom, and has recently embarked on an ambitious project to study health care and social services in older adults and children in Tokyo, London, Paris, New York and Santo Domingo.

Q. ElderWeb is delighted to be co-sponsoring the launch of ILC-USA West on October 26 with SeniorNet -- tell us about this event, and your vision for ILC-USA West.

A. Dr. Butler is scheduled to visit the Bay Area on October 26. He will be making a public presentation at Fairchild Auditorium at Stanford University from 5-7 p.m. on "The Promise of Longevity". I also plan to organize meaningful discussions between him and leading individuals in the valley Here in the Silicon Valley we are celebrating a dynamic economic boom. We are also witnessing the need to build the infrastructure for the societal support for the parents and grandparents of young entrepreneurs and baby boomers. Longevity is here to stay, and how we address it will determine how we spend the remaining years of our extended life. Our intention in launching the ILC-USA West is to increase awareness in the Bay Area and the western United States of our mission, and to invite the collaboration of leading individuals and institutions in the this part of the country.

Some of my objectives are to increase awareness of productive aging and longevity and to empower the professionals in the valley to gear for social changes in aging, to establish a base for the ILC on the west coast, to start sound collaborative research and outcomes work with educational institutions and corporations, and to raise funds for the ILC and the World Assembly on Aging in 2002.

Q. What role do you see the Internet playing in the aging space, and in helping the ILC accomplish its goals?

A. This is the first time in human history that the prospect of living a long, healthy, and productive life is a reality for the majority of people in the industrialized world and for many in the developing world. We must recognize the opportunities and address the challenges posed by these developments with creativity, with the collaborative efforts of experts from many different fields, and with public and private partnerships to endure the best quality of life for people of all ages. The Internet is a powerful tool that facilitates communication, allowing for greater collaboration to address significant challenges that are local as well as global. It also can be a vehicle for coordinating resources and activities that will improve the quality of life for isolated elders.

Q. How might ElderWeb help the ILC to that end?

A. ElderWeb has a wonderful reputation and track record as a leading authority on aging and caregiving, and has been a wonderful resource since its inception for professionals and lay people since Karen first launched the site in 1994. We look forward exploring creative new venues through which the work of the ILC can be published and disseminated through the Internet to your constituents in the United States and abroad.

For more information on the October 26 presentation by Dr. Butler, please contact Dr. Rita Ghatak. Visit the ILC-USA website at http://www.ilcusa.org.

Dr. David Lansdale, founder of the Linking Ages program which connects older adults to the Internet, will be conducting a series of interviews for the ElderWeb newsletter. He will speak to representatives of key organizations that serve consumers, professionals, legislators, and others interested in aging and eldercare.

By Dr. David Lansdale, PhD

I am excited about this new section on ElderWeb, where I will feature national organizations that serve consumers, professionals, legislators, and others interested in the aging space. In this first article, I will interview Dr. Rita Ghatak, the recently appointed West Coast liaison for the International Longevity Center (ILC), an organization with headquarters in New York City. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Ghatak served as CEO to Older Adults Care Management, an organization which provides geriatric care management services for elderly people in the San Francisco Bay Area. Dr. Ghatak also has over 14 years experience in the field of gerontology, with a focus on direct services, research, and care management.

Q. Thank you for you time, Rita. Congratulations on your new appointment! I have been looking forward to this interview with you, featuring the ILC. Let's begin with the mission of the ILC.

A. The ILC-USA, Ltd. is a not-for-profit research, policy and education organization whose mission is to help societies address longevity and population aging in positive and productive ways and highlight older people's contribution to their families and society as a whole. The organization is part of a multinational research and education consortium, which includes centers in the US, Japan, Great Britain, France, and the Dominican Republic.

Q. Who founded the ILC?

A. The ILC was founded in 1990 in the USA by Robert N. Butler, M.D., and in Japan by Shigeo Morioka, Chairman of Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Company. The ILC-USA, Ltd. is a non-partisan 501 ?(3) corporation affiliated with the MountSiani-NYU Health System. Dr. Butler was the first director of the National Institute on Aging from 1975-1982, and in 1982, founded the nation's first department of geriatrics at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. An internationally recognized leader in the fields of gerontology and geriatrics, Dr. Butler is also a Pulitzer Prize winning author for his book, Why Survive? Being Old in America. The ILC also enjoys the dedication of wonderful Board and Honorary Board members that include John Glenn, Rosalyn Carter, Christine Cassel, and Rose Kleiner locally.

Q. What is the ILC strategy for addressing the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead as a result of significant gains in longevity, both in the United States and abroad?

A. The ILC achieves its mission by:

Conducting research and educational programs in the areas of health, work, family;
Drawing on the expertise of scholars from many disciplines, including demography, sociology, economics, humanities, ethics, medicine, and public health;
Working within the context of the total life cycle, taking into consideration the needs of all age groups, and encouraging intergenerational contact and understanding;
Raising awareness among public and private sector leaders, the media, and society in general about the impact of longevity and population aging on individuals and society.
Dr. Butler and Mr. Morioka have launched centers in France, the United Kingdom, and the Dominican Republic to achieve the mission of the ILC in additional locations around the world. Dr. Butler is currently working on several international projects in France, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom, and has recently embarked on an ambitious project to study health care and social services in older adults and children in Tokyo, London, Paris, New York and Santo Domingo.

Q. ElderWeb is delighted to be co-sponsoring the launch of ILC-USA West on October 26 with SeniorNet -- tell us about this event, and your vision for ILC-USA West.

A. Dr. Butler is scheduled to visit the Bay Area on October 26. He will be making a public presentation at Fairchild Auditorium at Stanford University from 5-7 p.m. on "The Promise of Longevity". I also plan to organize meaningful discussions between him and leading individuals in the valley Here in the Silicon Valley we are celebrating a dynamic economic boom. We are also witnessing the need to build the infrastructure for the societal support for the parents and grandparents of young entrepreneurs and baby boomers. Longevity is here to stay, and how we address it will determine how we spend the remaining years of our extended life. Our intention in launching the ILC-USA West is to increase awareness in the Bay Area and the western United States of our mission, and to invite the collaboration of leading individuals and institutions in the this part of the country.

Some of my objectives are to increase awareness of productive aging and longevity and to empower the professionals in the valley to gear for social changes in aging, to establish a base for the ILC on the west coast, to start sound collaborative research and outcomes work with educational institutions and corporations, and to raise funds for the ILC and the World Assembly on Aging in 2002.

Q. What role do you see the Internet playing in the aging space, and in helping the ILC accomplish its goals?

A. This is the first time in human history that the prospect of living a long, healthy, and productive life is a reality for the majority of people in the industrialized world and for many in the developing world. We must recognize the opportunities and address the challenges posed by these developments with creativity, with the collaborative efforts of experts from many different fields, and with public and private partnerships to endure the best quality of life for people of all ages. The Internet is a powerful tool that facilitates communication, allowing for greater collaboration to address significant challenges that are local as well as global. It also can be a vehicle for coordinating resources and activities that will improve the quality of life for isolated elders.

Q. How might ElderWeb help the ILC to that end?

A. ElderWeb has a wonderful reputation and track record as a leading authority on aging and caregiving, and has been a wonderful resource since its inception for professionals and lay people since Karen first launched the site in 1994. We look forward exploring creative new venues through which the work of the ILC can be published and disseminated through the Internet to your constituents in the United States and abroad.

For more information on the October 26 presentation by Dr. Butler, please contact Dr. Rita Ghatak. Visit the ILC-USA website at http://www.ilcusa.org.

Dr. David Lansdale, founder of the Linking Ages program which connects older adults to the Internet, will be conducting a series of interviews for the ElderWeb newsletter. He will speak to representatives of key organizations that serve consumers, professionals, legislators, and others interested in aging and eldercare.