How Alzheimer’s Care Armenia is transforming dementia care

For years, many families in Armenia viewed memory loss as a normal part of aging. Forgetfulness was considered inevitable, even though specialists emphasize it can often be the first sign of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. For a long time, dementia was rarely discussed in Armenia — often surrounded by shame, fear and misconceptions. Without a clear distinction between normal aging and a medical condition, few people sought professional help.

To bridge this gap, Dr. Jane Mahakian, a gerontologist, founded Alzheimer’s Care Armenia in 2018. The organization’s mission is to raise awareness, make dementia visible and build support systems for families facing memory loss. “Our goal was to put dementia on the map in Armenia, make it visible, and finally open a conversation around an issue that had long been taboo,” Dr. Mahakian told the Weekly. She noted that memory problems were traditionally seen as an unavoidable part of growing older, with few specialists or programs available to evaluate cognitive health.