Director, Caregiving
AARP Public Policy Institute
Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Rita Choula is the Director of Caregiving with the AARP Public Policy Institute. Her work bridges policy and research to practice, centered on identifying and supporting the needs of family caregivers, elevating the unique nature of each caregiving experience. Rita currently drives AARP's efforts to address systemic disparities and build equity in long-term care for Black, Latino, Asian American Pacific Islander and LGBTQ older adults and their family caregivers.
In collaboration with clinical experts and key stakeholders, Rita leads the development of programs and tools that enable health care professionals to better recognize the diverse needs of family caregivers and provide supports to them across settings. Additionally, Rita directs the Home Alone Alliance– a collaborative of AARP. Through this coalition, she has led the development and production of multi-language “How-to” videos and related resources centered around the family caregiver, that provide them with easily accessible technical guidance necessary to perform complex medical/nursing tasks.
Most recently, Rita spearheaded a grant initiative focused on elevating the recognition and support of family caregivers providing complex care by health care providers through the identification of promising practices within these settings.
Rita holds a Master’s degree in the Management of Aging Services from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. She is a currently a member of Gerontological Society of America (GSA), American Society on Aging (ASA), and the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI). as well as a member of the Board of Directors for the Association of Frontotemporal Dementia,
Moved by her personal experience serving as a family caregiver for her mother and grandmother, while caring for her two small children, Rita is driven to ensure systems are structured to meet the holistic needs of family caregivers, address their unique experiences and enabe them to manage their own wellbeing while providing care to others.
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Thursday, November 3, 2022
4:30 PM – 6:00 PM ET