Fighting Aging in Armenia: Gerontologist Jane Mahakian Has a Plan

She noted that among the questions are: “When mom begins to leave the home, what do you do? How do you redirect them? Understanding the disease process when they start [for example] not being able to swallow properly, all of these types of things are balanced. How can we improve the balance of the life of someone who has Alzheimer’s disease?”

Mahakian noted that there is not enough information and statistics about the elderly population suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, often due to misdiagnosis. “Sometimes they are misdiagnosed with having a mental illness like schizophrenia or some other kind of diagnosis. But just like in the United States and worldwide, Alzheimer’s disease, unfortunately, is on the increase.”

She said she thinks that the main job that has to be done is prevention: exercise, diet, having cognitive games or exercises. It’s all in the plan of the National Care program that Mahakian is working on.

By 2050 the number of seniors in the United States will double to 89 million people, according to the Institute of Gerontology in the University of Georgia. This rate shows growth that is twice as fast as the under-50 population. In Armenia the picture is even more dire. About 12 percent of the population are elderly now. This is expected to increase about 20 percent by 2030.

Mahakian has a plan ready — the Brain Help Armenia Project — a multidisciplinary program that will cover one of the biggest gaps in care, namely proper memory screening. She has teamed up with the Armenian EyeCare Project to begin screening some of their patients. The pilot screening was done in September with 25 patients and three-quarter of them showed some form of a memory impairment. The project will travel to every region of Armenia and provide in-home cognitive treatments as well as physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, palliative and end of life care.

“People in Armenia don’t want to send their loved ones to the memory care community. The goal is to keep them home and have the highest level of quality of life possible for that patient,” said Mahakian. The services are going to be free of cost and will “raise the bar” and show the [medical] professionals in Armenia what is quality elderly care, how do you create a life for someone who has Alzheimer’s disease. “Because that life has a meaning. That person needs a new purpose. It’s about showing the family what their loved one can do and not what he or she can’t,” adds Mahakian.

Training is much needed in the medical field as well, with medical professionals who are dealing with the patients on a daily basis. Mahakian is working closely with the Ministry of Health to provide them with the certified dementia training. “The gatekeepers in Armenia are the primary physicians. They have the first point of contact. When they understand what this disease is, then they will refer their patients to the neurologist,” she adds with confidence.

Mahakian was back in the US in July. Since then she has worked with her team virtually while the COVID surged again in Armenia. Her day starts around 3-4 a.m.,  to catch up with the time difference. She shares the latest success of another unprecedented project that she did before returning to California. Over a cup of coffee with Karen Khachikyan, she got the idea to introduce the famous Robin the Robot to the residents of the Nork Old Age Home. The nearly four-foot-tall Robin was previously used at the UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital to provide emotional support to the young patients. Mahakian knew that the same experience could be “life-changing” for the older adults especially during the pandemic when they felt lonely. Using the robot to play cognitive games, help the residents with their emotions would make a difference. The results bore out the expectation.

The robot will continue to stay at the facility until May of 2022. “It’s like a family: They [residents] love him, they hug and kiss him. They just feel very close to Robin,” said Mahakian. The Robin the Robot project was sponsored by the H. Hovnanian Family Foundation.

Mahakian’s grandparents played a significant role in shaping her career path. Both grandparents were Genocide survivors from Izmir and Van who later emigrated to the US. “I quickly realized at a young age that the older person has much wisdom, and I wanted to learn as much as I could from them. They truly were my best friends growing up. My grandparents are no longer here, however the gifts they gave to me of their love, wisdom and compassion are forever mine to keep. I know the work I am doing in Armenia is a direct reflection of the love I have for older people. They are behind my passion for all I do,” said Mahakian.

Mahakian co-authored a book titled I Hear You with writer and editor Alyson Kuhn. The book is based on the extensive email conversation between Mahakian and Kuhn when Kuhn’s mother suffered from dementia. Its goal is to help with talking and listening to people with Alzheimer’s and dementia, understanding them and promoting a meaningful life even in that difficult period of their life.

“Our elders are our history,” said Mahakian with a smile.