“Being old is our future, so let’s have a good and healthy future as possible”…

Second International Congress of Geriatrics kicks off in Yerevan

“If there is pediatrics, then there must be a profession that deals with the elderly. It turns out that there are doctors with children, and there are no doctors specializing in the elderly, ”said Lilit Muradyan, Program Manager for the Association for Providing Health and Care for the Elderly, told WomenNet.am. According to her, this experience exists in the US, other developed countries in Europe and they have a specialty – geriatric.

Today, the Association of Elderly Health and Care Providers NGO, the Armenian Association of Geriatrics and Periodontology and the United Nations Population Fund kicked off its second international conference on geriatric issues and the development of geriatrics in Armenia. The theme of this year’s convention is, “Let’s give life to years, not just years to life.”

According to Lilit Muradyan, as the UNFPA projections that the number of elderly people will exceed that of young people by 2050, we will face the fact that the development of geriatrics and gerontology is both topical in terms of the introduction of medical services and social services.

Anna Gichka, a geriatrician from Israel, said that elderly people have a number of physiological and psychological characteristics that need to be taken into account in their care and treatment. According to her, the environment where the elderly live should also be adapted.

Professor Jinbar Martin, present at the conference, told WomenNet.am that Armenia is an aging country, so the health care system must take this into account when developing its forecasts, plans, and strategies for the future.

First Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Gemafin Gasparyan noted that a number of programs are envisaged in the 2020-2024 strategy: the first to abandon large institutions over the years, moving from nursing homes to community-based small homes. According to the deputy minister, the second important project implemented by the state is the idea of the so-called “day clubs”, which will be about diverse, healthy lifestyles, active aging.

“Another very important project is the existence of Generation Solidarity Clubs, an example of which are clubs where seniors can pass on their knowledge to younger citizens through training or other means,” Mr Gasparyan said.