AWWA-ANRC/Hanganak NGO Monthly Task Force Meeting

The monthly meeting of AWWA / Hanganak Task Force Meeting took place on March 18. The meeting began with an analysis of the course conducted by the Association of Healthcare and Assistance to Older People and ended with a discussion of the Aurora Foundation grant.

The situation with Covid was discussed both in the world and in Armenia. Given the reality of the new wave in the world, one should not be complacent about the recent decrease in the number of cases in Armenia. It can be very deceptive and the situation can change at any time. In particular, Margaret Kilajyan presented the inadmissible weakening of the mask regime in Yerevan, even in the medical institutions. Almost no one wore a mask. This phenomenon will affect the deterioration of the epidemiological situation.

Gas supply has not been restored in Artsakh yet, but it has been officially announced that it would be available in the near future. The weather stays cold and snowy.

In respect of the trainings conducted by the Association of Healthcare and Assistance to Older People participants marked that the program was specifically developed in accordance with the needs of Hanganak personnel. Backed with years of professional and pedagogical experience and guided by the Caregiver School curriculum developed by the Association for the Health and Care of Older People, the instructors were able to best introduce the basics of geriatrics to the participants. Along with the theoretical knowledge, practical skills were also provided, which are of vital importance in the daily work of the organization. The course was aimed at raising awareness about geriatrics and gerontology, developing special skills and knowledge of specialists related to the care of the elderly. The course lasted a total of 15 academic hours and was able to achieve the set goal. As a result of the pre-test and post-test, the knowledge was improved more than 2.5 times. While assessing the usefulness of the course for themselves, the participants evaluated 10 points on a 10-point scale.

In addition to the main purpose of the training, another important issue was related to the program of establishing a geriatric room, which is currently implemented by the Association for the Health and Care of Older People. The implementation of the program will be very relevant and on the agenda in Hanganak. Given that the organization has had a medical room since its foundation, it will not be a big problem to reorganize it into a geriatric room. This includes not only guidelines for the diagnosis and monitoring of geriatric syndromes, scheduled screening tests, but also developed reporting forms and database establishment. This will enable beneficiaries to control diseases and prevent complications.

2022 budget was adopted unanimously.

There are several options to develop and choose from with respect to Aurora grant. Heating compensation may also be included in the program plan. Martakert, Martuni and Askeran projects can be included in the Aurora Grant Program, further discussions should be held in the upcoming days.

A number of other organizational issues were discussed at the end.