Every Wednesday, from 10:30 to 12:00, elderly people with memory impairments, their families and caregivers come to Memory café. Here older people have the opportunity to spend their daily life interestingly, learn new things, follow the rules of a healthy lifestyle that trains memory and slows down aging.
In Yerevan and the marzes, Alzheimer’s Care Armenia conducts free-charge memory assessment, which is attended by citizens aged 40 and over who wish to be tested. Those citizens whose results cause concern, not only receive expert advice, but are also invited to the Memory café. Some of them learned about the memory cafe from friends or from publications in the press and began to visit.
71-years-old Aida Sinanyan recently took part in a memory assessment, conducted in Freedom Square of Yerevan and, on the advice of experts, began visiting the Memory Café. Aida Sinanyan studied at the Yerevan Polytechnic Institute (now the National Polytechnic University of Armenia), after an ischemic stroke, Aida began to have memory problems and stopped working.
“Then I also had a heart attack, but gradually I recovered, developed a healthy lifestyle for myself, I try to eat right. I like to communicate with people, I often go to concerts, also participate in some cultural events, live a rich cultural life, I walk every day. I think these are the things that help me not to feel old, to be full of life,” says Aida.
In the Memory café, she found new friends, had a great time, took part in memory training and mind games. Leaving the Memory café, Aida is full of energy, looking forward to the next Wednesday to visit the Memory café, which has become a new family.
“You can definitely feel young even after 60-70 years, be full of life, just a person should lead a healthy lifestyle, eat healthy food, read every day, train memory, communicate a lot with people and do your favorite hobby often.” Aida says.
ShHe lives alone but is often visited by his daughter and grandchildren. Aida loves to cook, knit and embroider. As she says, she does all the household chores around the house herself, she is not lazy.
Read the article in Armenian: Aliq Media