Gohar Hovhannisyan, President of Hanganak NGO, and Arthur Torosyan, President of the Armenian Association of Geriatrics and Gerontology and the Founder / President of the Association of Healthcare and Assistance to Older People met on August 27, in Yerevan.
The intention to cooperate was discussed a few days before with Hambardzum Simonyan, FAR Health Programs Manager. A number of opportunities were discussed in an attempt to find common ground for cooperation between FAR and Hanganak NGO, such as developing professional skills of the medical staff and providing new up-to-date geriatric knowledge. In particular, the possibility of introducing the short version of the Adult Disease Management (ADM) program was discussed, which was widely implemented in Artsakh and had excellent results. However, taking into account the age group of the program beneficiaries, it was decided to involve relevant specialists. As a specialized and experienced team, Hambardzum Simonyan, advised Arthur Torosyan’s Association of Healthcare and Assistance to Older People, as well as its sister organization, the Armenian Association of Geriatrics and Gerontology. He expressed the opinion that the trainings organized by the “Association of Healthcare and Assistance to Older People” NGO will be more targeted for the medical staff of Hanganak NGO.
Association of Healthcare and Assistance to Older People is the only organization operating in the Republic of Armenia, which aims to promote the development of geriatric-gerontological services in Armenia, introduce and develop integrated healthcare system, and support prevention efforts to enable elderly to remain active, independent and involved in their community, facilitating social engagement. All this is in line with the goals and objectives of Hanganak NGO. Therefore, a meeting to develop a plan for further cooperation was necessary.
The meeting took place in a very warm atmosphere. Arthur Torosyan presented the history, goals and objectives of the organization. Project Coordinator Lilit Muradyan told about their daily life, showed a small workshop located in a large office, where specialists organize occupational therapy for the elderly, told about the expected music therapy, various events that have taken place and are going to happen in the future.
In regards to cooperation, the need for trainings was mentioned. The team agreed to visit Artsakh in the first days of September for the assessment of basic needs of Hanganak staff and prepare a corresponding training program.
FAR has expressed its willingness to support any proposed target program.
Photo: The head of “Hanganak” NGO Dr. Gohar Hovhannisyan and the head of the Armenian Association of Geriatrics and Gerontology Dr. Artur Torosyan