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New Chief of Geriatric Psychiatry and Behavioral Health is Announced

Posted on: Monday, 27 April 2009, 10:03 CDT

RESEDA, Calif., April 27 /PRNewswire/ -- The Jewish Home has named Nitin Nanda, M.D., as its chief of geriatric psychiatry and behavioral health. Dr. Nanda will also serve as medical director of the Lisa and Ernest Auerbach Behavioral Health Center at the Home's Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer Medical Center on the Grancell Village campus.

Bringing nearly a decade of experience to these positions, Dr. Nanda will be responsible for the supervision and oversight of the Home's geriatric psychiatry outpatient clinical services, with a special focus on memory disorders. He will also oversee ongoing teaching and education of the medical and general staff at the Jewish Home on mental health issues.

"With Dr. Nanda now on board, we have another tremendously talented individual with outstanding experience in compassionate geriatric care to serve our residents," says Home CEO-President Molly Forrest. "This addition will further help us fulfill our mission of caring for the body, mind, and spirit of our residents and other seniors in the community."

One of Dr. Nanda's first goals is for the Home to educate the community about ways for seniors to achieve and maintain optimal mental health. "It's incredibly important to promote mental health for seniors and for people as they age to understand how to take better care of themselves so they can live healthy, happy lives," he explains.

Another top priority is to heighten public knowledge of mental health issues in seniors. "Because of its wonderful reputation in this area, the Jewish Home is uniquely positioned to take a leading role in increasing that awareness and understanding," Dr. Nanda adds.

In addition to his new role at the Jewish Home, Dr. Nanda currently serves as the president and chief executive officer of the Asana Integrated Medical Group in Sherman Oaks and Burbank, is assistant clinical professor at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, and is clinical assistant professor in medicine at the Keck-USC School of Medicine. He is a well-known speaker on topics relating to understanding and addressing the needs of seniors with depression, memory disorders and Alzheimer's disease.

"One reason I accepted the Jewish Home's offer to join its team is that the Home has mastered the clinical and compassionate side of taking care of our senior population in long-term care," says Dr. Nanda. "It's a hard transition for anyone to move from home to long-term care, and the Jewish Home and its very competent team of clinicians and management makes this transition easier."

Founded in 1912, the world-renowned Los Angeles Jewish Home is one of the foremost multi-level senior communities in the United States and is the largest single-source provider of senior housing in Los Angeles. In total the Home annually serves more than 1,700 seniors through an extraordinary continuum of services. Each year, more than 1,200 senior women and men are supported through in-residence housing on two village campuses (spanning 16 acres), with services featuring independent-living "Neighborhood Home" accommodations, residential care, skilled nursing care, Alzheimer's disease and dementia care. Another 500 seniors are served through the Home's community-based programs, which include Skirball Hospice and community clinics. Healthcare professionals from around the world consult with the Jewish Home in an effort to improve eldercare in their home countries. The Home is a nonprofit organization that relies upon donations from individuals, corporations and foundations to continue its remarkable work. Further information regarding the Home can be found online at jha.org or by calling 818-757-4407.

SOURCE Los Angeles Jewish Home

Source: PR Newswire

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