Mario D. Garrett Ph.D.
Professor of Gerontology
2022 According to https://www.authority.org/rankings/best-colleges-for-gerontology/professors (cache1 cahce2)
"Mario Garrett...is the most popular Gerontology professor in America."
HOME WORK
PO Box 331, San Diego State University, School of Social Work,
La Mesa, CA. 91944 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182-1872
PHONE 619-992 5317 PHONE 619-594 2818
Professor of Gerontology, voted by AUTHORITY.ORG in 2022 as the “most popular professor in gerontology in the United States” Mario Garrett elevated the program at SDSU to national status. He was the deputy director of the United Nations International Institute on Aging, and for seven years was the team leader of a UNFPA-funded program in the People's Republic of China. Garrett worked extensively with American Indian and Alaska Native populations developing the largest health databases using Geographic Information System-GIS. He has extensive international experience with The University of Bath, the London School of Economics, Surrey University, and the University of Malta. Nationally he has taught at the University of New Mexico, and the University of North Texas. For the past 10 years, he has hosted/funded the Coming of Age film festival on aging at the Museum of Photograph Arts in San Diego. He also helped initiate the film festival on aging in Montclair, NJ. He has written nine books, two of which are textbooks for his courses, that he provides free for students. Garrett has taught in Japan, Canada, Costa Rica, Turkey, Australia, Malta, and Morocco. His enthusiasm ignites interest among many students who are exposed for the first time to aging issues. He has written over 30 editorials in the San Diego Union-Tribune, and some 30 editorials in the Times of Malta. He was the main blogger on aging at Psychologytoday.com with more than 160 blogs. He now writes a monthly editorial in Tokyo (translated in Japanese). Garrett's work has been translated in 10 languages. His biggest honor is the students that have followed a career in aging.
EDUCATION
1988 Ph.D. Psychology Department University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK Thesis: Loneliness: The Experience, Interpretation and Communication.
1980 B.Sc. (Honors) 1 st class/summa cum laude Science Department University of East London, Stratford, Water Lane. London. E15 4LZ Major: Psychology, Physiology
Dementia has taught me that love is loving someone how they want to be loved and not how you want to love them
NEW BOOK OUT 2022 CRITICAL AGE THEORY
BOOKS PUBLISHED AS PRIMARY AUTHOR
Critical Age Theory: Profiteering from the last stages of life
VIDEO OF TALK
Individuals working in the health care industry are mostly motivated by altruism. In contrast, the sole motivation for the private medical industry is to generate profit, in fact, it is their social responsibility. Immortalized in the 1970 essay for The New York Times entitled "A Friedman Doctrine: The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase Its Profits." This examination looks at twelve different aspects of health care for older people, from medications to home help, guardianship, assisted living, nursing homes, hospitals, sub-acute units, hospice, funeral services, pensions/insurance, and legacy. We will examine how the business model permeates all these facets of health care and illustrate some of the negative consequences of putting profit first. While the motivation to care and the motivation for profit exist side by side, there are common occasions when there is conflict, resulting in institutional abuse.
By sounding the alarm that “business as usual” is creating an abusive culture we can see how such an outcome is both engineered and at the same time, predictable. As such, we have the means to stop it especially since the private health care industry cannot function without government funds and subsidies. In the medical business, the complexity of laws and regulations are most often drafted by the same individuals running the health care businesses. In contrast to this efficiency, the public institutions set up to oversee this health care industry are themselves, at best, ineffective, uncoordinated, and most have conflict-of-interest. At worst they are incompetent, corrupt and a sham. While politicians play the short-term game, businesses have a long-term strategy and the potential for profits is phenomenal. In 2019 U.S. health care spending reached $3.8 trillion, or $11,582 per person, representing 18 percent of the overall share of gross domestic product (GDP), the highest percentage and amount in the world. We need to examine institutional abuse as a sociological phenomenon rather than as a collection of individuals. We are biased to see things as personal, but business does not see us as individuals it sees us as a system of consumers for generating a profit and we must likewise see health care in the same perspective in order for us to understand it.
As in the Christmas Carol narrative, this examination will similarly invite a visit by three ghosts, the ghost from the past, the ghost from the present, and the ghost from the future. It is up to the regulatory institutions we have in place that govern us and oversee our wellbeing to accept the future that they are leading us into and to correct it. We need radical change to stop the growing abuse of frail older adults that we are promoting by keeping the status quo. We can change the ghost of the future.
Social Dementia: The role of memory
PLAY VIDEO (37m)
For the first time since the 1900s, and the separation of psychiatry (biology), psychoanalysis (unconscious), and psychology (learning) are brought together to elucidate the causes of dementia. Causes that have evaded understanding from the beginning of civilization. Even though so far, the main thrust has been for a biological cause, more than a third of older people with dementia do not have enough of the biological markers to explain their dementia. As a result, we need to look for alternative and broader explanations. As we get older our representation of the world becomes more accurate and more dominant. We tend to rely on our past experiences rather than on learning new material. Since memory’s role is "recalling past events in order to facilitate learning," relying on past experiences diminishes learning and eventually weakens memory. Once learning becomes less dominant, memory starts to suffer. The secondary role of memory, to bring past experiences into consciousness then starts to suffer. Memory loss in dementia disconnects the conscious from the unconscious. Dementia becomes an issue of consciousness rather than a problem of thinking. This perspective provides a different interpretation of our thinking processes and establishes a more humane view of the deficits that we witness in dementia. We learn to see the person living with dementia not as a product of loss but as a product of miscommunication. By changing the perspective--that it is not dementia that causes memory loss, but memory loss that causes dementia--a new interpretation emerges that sees the contribution of perceptual biases in dementia. It is impossible to understand aging before addressing dementia. Trying to answer the question of whether aging is pathological—a disease—or whether dementia is the disease of aging is at the crux of gerontology. This book argues that perceptual change results in pathology. That reliance on our past experiences relegates memory as peripheral and eventually weakens memory to the extent that we lose contact with our accumulated subconscious experiences. This is the social pathological of dementia.
Books edited by Mario D. Garrett
Award-winning blog with over 200 articles on aging
Monthly Editorial in Kenkou to Yoi Tomodachi (Tokyo, Japan)
Kerime_CARTOON.pdfCARTOON
Kerime Sak, a student from Bogazici University, Istanbul, Turkey did a cartoon series of my lectures...she attended the course twice so that she can do this. This document is provided here for discussion. All copyright resides with the artist Karime Sak © 2020 (click image for PDF)
Podcast with Michael Patterson and MINDRAMP
Talking about the new theory of SOCIAL DEMENTIA.
TAUGHT INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY LEVEL COURSES AT : Bogazichi University Istanbul, University of Tokyo, University of Costa Rica, University of British Colombia, University of Melbourne, University of Bath, University of Surrey, University of Bristol, University of Malta, and the University of Rabat (INSEA).
Read some comments from students: UBC Summer Class.
UNIVERSITY TEACHING EXPERIENCE:
San Diego State University
GERO101: Introduction to Gerontology
GERO350:Social Policy and Aging
GERO360: Diversity and Aging
GERO370:Images of Aging
SW391: Research Methods
GERO402: Aging Networks
GERO501: Psychology of Aging
GERO530: Research Practical
GERO520: Evaluation
GERO601: Theory in Gerontology
GERO602:Research Methods
SW610: Computer Application
GERO630: Research Methods Application
SW690: Research Methodology
University of British Columbia , Canada
PSYCH422: Psychology of Adulthood
Bogazichi University- Turkey
PSYCH 401: Psychology of Ageing
University of New Mexico
GEN402 (American) Indian Aging
HONORS
Outstanding Faculty, School of Social Work, College of Health and Human Services, San Diego State University (2015 -2016).
Outstanding Faculty, School of Social Work, College of Health and Human Services, San Diego State University (2010 -2011).
Outstanding Faculty, Department of Gerontology, College of Health and Human Services, San Diego State University (2007 -2008).
Outstanding Faculty, Department of Gerontology, College of Health and Human Services, San Diego State University (2006 -2007).
Outstanding Faculty, Department of Gerontology, College of Health and Human Services, San Diego State University (2005- 2006).
Winner of the first Science Technology 1979 National Science Essay University Competition (U.K.)
Recipient of the Dean’s Prize for best academic achievement, University of East London, U.K. (1979)
MASTER OF SCIENCE THESIS CHAIRPERSON
2020 WHy will Soial Security Collapse. Tony Wing Tai Chan
2013 Luck, Control and the Holocaust. Katrine Teplitsky
2011 An exposition of irregularities in Residential Care Facilities For The Elderly (RCFE) in San Diego and Imperial Counties. Christine M. Murphy
2009 Elder abuse and oral healthcare providers: an intervention to increase knowledge and self-perceived likelihood to report. Julie Ann Sugita
2009 Job satisfaction and the Shared Care Model as compared with the Traditional Model of hospice care. Carolyn Mae Stevenson
2008 An evaluation of the local needs assessment process and its ability to represent minority elders in San Diego County. Annette S. Quinata
2008 Maximizing Medicaid's continuum of care: an analysis of assisted living facilities and nursing home residents. Christina LeBlanc Selder
2007 The effects of structured educational programming of RCFE residing elderly with cognitive impairments: an evaluation of program participation, quality of life and behavior management. Lindsey Beth Cornwell
2006 How San Diego religious leaders support their congregant members at end of life. Stacy L. Sampson 2006 A survey of caregiving characteristics. Iris Diaz Canapi
2005 Comparison of activity of daily living (ADL) impairments between urban and rural elderly nursing home residents in San Diego and Imperial County. Debbie A. Petrocco
2005 Cultural competency in geriatric case management: promoting the use of primary care. Sonia L. Castro Negron 2005 Existing and potential health promotion services in San Diego: a survey of religious institutions. Lisa Randall
2005 The exploratory analysis of mental health services in San Diego County's long term care continuum. Gisella Stonier
2005 Perceptions of elder abuse and help-seeking patterns among different ethnic and age groups. Scott William Code
2005 The usage of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for treatment of hypertension among Chinese and Taiwanese elderly in Southern California. Shih-Fan Lin
2005 With friends like these who needs enemies: a study of financial abuse of older adults by caregivers and family members. Kandi Kayne Lee
2004 Building a dementia care network: a community-based service delivery system for Latino families in San Diego County. Roberto E. Velasquez
2004 HIV/AIDS epidemiologic trends of the over age 50 population in San Diego County. Norman Douglas Jackson
2004 Predictors of unsubsidized employment for older workers in a senior community service employment program. Cynthia Lee Hansen
2004 What are the real-life issues regarding conservatorships in California today? Jacqueline Santangelo-Herman
Extracurricular Activities
HONORS
Most Popular UCSD-TV Program for 2013
Brain Fitness: Social Aspects of Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment – Research on Aging
Foreigner Correspondence Club Japan: "The Politics of Alzheimer's Disease and the Impact on Japan"
University of Costa Rica San Diego Aging Conference
Every year I curate and host an annual COMING OF AGE film festival on aging in San Diego at the Museum of Photographic Arts (MOPA) situated in Balboa Park. The audience enjoy free films together with an introduction and a Q&A afterwards. Since 2011, COMING OF AGE has been made possible by generous support from local agencies. To review this community program please go to www.comingofageinfilms.com
Blogs translated into other languages:
Russian
Vietnamese
Mandarin
Korean
German
Portuguese
Hindi
Japanese
ACADEMIC PEER-REVIEWED PAPERS (MORE RECENT FIRST)
These papers are being made available here to facilitate the timely dissemination of scholarly work; copyright and all related rights are retained by the copyright holders.
Garrett MD (2022) Book Review Lodge, C., Carnell, E. & Coleman, M. (2016). The new age of ageing: How society need to change. Bristol: Policy Press, 224 pp. ISBN: 978-1447-326830 International Journal on Ageing in Developing Countries, 2016, 1 (2): 197-199
Garrett MD (2021). Social Pathology of Dementia. Arch Neurol & Neurosci. 10(1).
Garrett MD (2021) Letters: The Social Pathology of Dementia. Academia Letters.
Garrett MD & Valle RJ (2014).A Methodological Critique of The National Institute of Aging and Alzheimer’s Association Guidelines for Alzheimer’s disease, Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment. Dementia: The International Journal of Social Research and Practice.DOI: 10.1177/1471301214525166
Garrett MD (2008). Is Our Population Sustainable. Journal of Sustainability 1 (4).
Griffith SP, Garrett MD, Ramsey P. (2001). Accuracy of Using PCC Data for
Measuring Childhood Obesity. The IHS Provider, 26:37-9.
Garrett MD & Scerri M. (1994). Community Services for the Elderly in Malta; In J. Kosberg (ed) International Handbook of Community Services for the Elderly. Greenwood Publications. New York.
Kinnie N, & Garrett M (1993). Managerial Strategies for Flexible Employment: An analysis using cross-sectional data. Management Research News, Vol. 12 Iss: 3, pp.14 – 15. DOI:10.1108/eb028018
Blanchflower DG, Oswald AJ, Garrett MD & Deeks AJ. (1987). Entrepreneurship and Self-Employment in Britain. UK Department of Employment Working Paper. London, U.K.
Garrett MD. (1982) Electroconvulsive Therapy and its non-Efficacy. Journal of Science and Technology, UK. Nov.
SELECTED NON-REFEERED PUBLICATIONS (chronological order)
Blanchflower DG, Oswald AJ, Garrett MD & Deeks AJ. (1987). Entrepreneurship and Self-Employment in Britain. UK Department of Employment Working Paper. London, U.K.
Garrett MD & Allerton M. (1989). Methodology and Initial Statistics of the YOUTHSCAN Longitudinal Survey - Part I. International Centre for Child Studies. Bristol, U.K.
Kinnie N & Garrett MD. (1989). Management Strategies for Flexible Employment: An analysis using cross-sectional data. Management Research News, Vol 12(3).
Cuscheri A, Delia L, Garrett MD & Troisi J (1993). Evaluation of Existing Services for the Elderly and their Implications in Planning for Future Services in the light of Economic Realities and Demographic Trends. White Paper, Government of Malta, Parliamentary Secretary for the Care of the Elderly.
Garrett MD. (1991). Life Expectancy: A Global Analysis and Critique. BOLD, Vol.1 No.2. UN-INIA, Malta.
Garrett MD. (1992). Changing Patterns of Responsibility: East and Southeast Asia as an accelerated microcosm. In United Nations Population Division. Proceedings of the Expert Group Meeting on Population and Demographic Structure, UNFPA, New York.
Garrett MD. (1993). Emerging Needs in Developing Countries: Two scenarios. BOLD. Vol.4 No.1. UN-INIA, Malta.
Garrett MD. (1993). Emerging Trends and Needs: A scenario for change. New Series of Papers in Gerontology, University of Liverpool, UK.
Cuscheri A, Delia L, Garrett MD & Troisi J (1993). Evaluation of Existing Services for the Elderly and their Implications in Planning for Future Services in the light of Economic Realities and Demographic Trends. White Paper, Government of Malta, Parliamentary Secretary for the Care of the Elderly.
Garrett MD. (1994). Ageing in East and Southeast Asia: Is family support a viable policy? BOLD. Vol 4, No. 3. UN-INIA, Malta.
Garrett MD. (1994). Indigenous Elderly People: First Global Estimates. BOLD. Vol 4, No. 4. UN-INIA, Malta.
Baldridge D, Baros S , Campos B, Garrett MD, Henriksen L & Inglis M. (1996). Mapping Indian Elders...An initiative of the National Indian Council on Aging. National Indian Council on Aging, July 1996.
Garrett MD. (1997). New Mexico American Indian Elders: A Demographic and Services Profile. New Mexico Office for Indian Affairs/Indian Area Agency on Aging, February 1997.
Garrett MD (2000). The Mapping of Gerontological Data. BOLD. Vol 10, No. 2. UN-INIA, Malta.
Garrett MD & Menke KA. (2002). Indian No More: Inconsistent Classification of American Indians and Alaska Natives in Medicare. NICOA’s Monograph Series, Vol 2, No. 2.
Garrett MD, Menke KA, Baldridge D & Inglis M. (2002). American Indians and Alaska Natives in the 2000 U.S. Census Part 1. NICOA’s Monograph Series, Vol 3, No. 3.
Garrett MD. (2003). USRDS Users Guide. NICOA’s Monograph Series, Vol. 6, No. 1.
Garrett MD & Baldridge D. (2003). Summary of Results from the USRDS Network 1: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island & Vermont. NICOA’s Monograph Series, Vol. 5, No.1.
Garrett MD & Baldridge D. (2003). Summary of Results from the USRDS Network 2; New York. NICOA’s Monograph Series, Vol. 5, No. 2.
Garrett MD & Baldridge D. (2003). Summary of Results from the USRDS Network 3: New Jersey, Puerto Rico & Virgin Islands. NICOA’s Monograph Series, Vol. 5, No. 3.
Garrett MD & Baldridge D. (2003). Summary of Results from the USRDS Network 4: Delaware & Pennsylvania. NICOA’s Monograph Series, Vol. 5, No. 4.
Garrett MD & Baldridge D. (2003). Summary of Results from the USRDS Network 5: Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland & District of Columbia. NICOA’s Monograph Series, Vol. 5, No. 5.
Garrett MD & Baldridge D. (2003). Summary of Results from the USRDS Network 6: Georgia, North Carolina & South Carolina. NICOA’s Monograph Series, Vol. 5, No. 6.
Garrett MD & Baldridge D. (2003). Summary of Results from the USRDS Network 7: Florida. NICOA’s Monograph Series, Vol. 5, No. 7.
Garrett MD & Baldridge D. (2003). Summary of Results from the USRDS Network 8: Alabama, Mississippi & Tennessee. NICOA’s Monograph Series, Vol. 5, No. 8.
Garrett MD & Baldridge D. (2003). Summary of Results from the USRDS Network 9/10: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky & Ohio. NICOA’s Monograph Series, Vol. 5, No. 9.
Garrett MD & Baldridge D. (2003). Summary of Results from the USRDS Network 11: Minnesota, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota & Wisconsin. NICOA’s Monograph Series, Vol. 5, No. 10.
Garrett MD & Baldridge D. (2003). Summary of Results from the USRDS Network 12: Iowa, Kansas, Missouri & Nebraska. NICOA’s Monograph Series, Vol. 5, No. 11.
Garrett MD & Baldridge D. (2003). Summary of Results from the USRDS Network 13: Arkansas, Louisiana & Oklahoma. NICOA’s Monograph Series, Vol. 5, No. 12.
Garrett MD & Baldridge D. (2003). Summary of Results from the USRDS Network 14: Texas. NICOA’s Monograph Series, Vol. 5, No. 13.
Garrett MD & Baldridge D. (2003). Summary of Results from the USRDS Network 15: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah & Wyoming. NICOA’s Monograph Series, Vol. 5, No. 14.
Garrett MD & Baldridge D. (2003). Summary of Results from the USRDS Network 16: Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon & Washington. NICOA’s Monograph Series, Vol. 5, No. 15.
Garrett MD & Baldridge D. (2003). Summary of Results from the USRDS Network 17: American Samoa, Guam, Mariana Islands, Hawaii & Northern California. NICOA’s Monograph Series, Vol. 5, No. 16.
Garrett MD & Baldridge D. (2003). Summary of Results from the USRDS Network 18: Southern California. NICOA’s Monograph Series, Vol. 5, No. 17.
Garrett MD. (2003). Asthma Among American Indians. NICOA’s Monograph Series, Vol. 6, No. 1. Sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Garrett MD (2008). Editorial: Is Our Population Sustainable? San Diego Union Tribune. August 15.
Garrett MD. (2009). The Sustainability of Dying? Journal of Sustainability. Issue 2(2), February: online:
http://journalofsustainability.com/lifetype/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=45&blogId=1
Garrett MD (2015) Genetic Longevity. Encyclopedia of health & aging. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781412956208
Garrett MD (2015) Lifespan. Encyclopedia of health & aging. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781412956208
Garrett MD (2015) Life Expectancy. Encyclopedia of health & aging. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781412956208
Garrett MD (2015) Dementia and Depression Among American Indians and Alaska Native Elders. Atlas of Science.
BOOKS
Garrett MD (2022) Crticial Age Theory: How the health care industry profiteers from the last stages of life. Kindle. USA.
Garrett MD Wakiyama M (2021) Care Before Cure: Japan's Dementia Strategy. Kindle. USA.
Garrett MD (2020) Social Dementia. Kindle. USA.
Garrett MD (2019) Coming of Age in Films, Cambridge Scholar Publishing, UK.
Garrett MD (2018) Dementia: A Being Out of One's Mind. Kindle. USA.
Garrett MD (2017) Immortality: With a Lifetime Guarantee. Kindle. USA.
Garrett MD (2015) Politics of Anguish: How Alzheimer's disease became the malady of the 21st century. Kindle. USA
Baldridge D, Garrett MD, & Menke K. (2003). Monograph Series. National Indian Council on Aging, September.
Wozniak D, Yuen L, Garrett MD & Shuman TS. (Editors) (1999). International Symposium on Herbal Medicine: A Holistic Approach. International Institute for Human Resources Development, San Diego State University.
Wozniak D, Shuman TS, Roet A, Garrett MD (Editors) (1996). Human Settlements Habitat: Proceedings and Recommendations of the International Symposium on Human Settlements. San Diego State University.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Chair, Commission on Aging, La Mesa City Council (Mayoral Nominee 2006- 2012)
Chair, Council on Minority Aging (2005-2007)
Board Member, Alzheimer’s Association San Diego and Imperial county Chapters, Medical and Scientific Board (2009- 2018)
Board Member, The Glenner Memory Care Centers, Medical and Scientific Board (2012- present)
Secretary, Board of Directors, CSA San Diego County (2007- 2018)
Consultant, Tierrasanta Village, a Naturally Occurring Retirement Community initiative.
Sample Social Network Sites (San Diego Union Tribune Articles not included, 120 PsychologyToday articles have been deleted after they censored my articles.)
Some sample Times of Malta editorials:
You can write or email me:
P.O. Box 331, La Mesa, CA 91944 USA
drmariusgarrett@gmail.com
Email me at drmariusgarrett@gmail.com for a free PDF copy of CRITICAL AGE THEORY if you are willing to write a review.