Dr. Nancy Barsamian, responsible for the clinical part of the Elderly Project, organized the first meeting of 2024 on Zoom upon the request of Hanganak medical personnel following a long break due to obvious reasons. Dr. Armineh Mirzabegian, a specialist in hypertension treatment and management who practices Primary Care in the US, participated in the meeting. She also teaches medical students at Umass Chan Medical School. Dr. Nancy Barsamyan invited Dr. Armine Mirzabegian to advise the medical staff of Hanganak on the management of chronic health conditions in elderly patients.
At the suggestion of Nancy Barsamian, the Hanganak staff first introduced themselves, and each of them spoke about their profession and work experience, in particular highlighting their role at Hanganak. Gohar Hovhannisyan briefly presented Hanganak’s activities from the time of forced displacement up to now, then requested the nurses to present their work, the issues related to beneficiaries, and the challenges they encounter during their activities.
Nancy Barsamian paid careful attention to the nurses’ input and praised their hard work while also enquiring about the main health concerns among beneficiaries. The discussion revolved around hypertension, its management efficiency, and the complications among diabetic patients. During the discussion, the matter of two beneficiaries who are insulin-dependent and have been encountering difficulties in accessing the required medication was brought up. It has been found that polyclinics mainly provide antidiabetic medicines, but in some cases they are not available to patients. Hanganak tries to provide the necessary medications as much as possible, but it is not always possible to guarantee the availability of all medications in local pharmacies. Moreover, there must be an office that provides the necessary conditions for storing pharmaceuticals.
The participants also addressed concerns related to the psychological well-being and social engagement of the beneficiaries. It was agreed that the upcoming meeting would be dedicated to the management of hypertension and the analysis of various clinical cases. Dr. Armineh Mirzabegian expressed her readiness to take part in this discussion for a deeper understanding of the problem.
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