Introduction
On 20 March 2023, the Armenian Government held a press conference announcing the launch of a national dementia strategy, which had been developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia and Alzheimer's Care Armenia. It also included input from doctors, psychologists, and sociologists over a year-long period.
Outline of strategy
The national dementia plan was created with the overarching goal of improving the quality of life of people with dementia and a memory-friendly society that promotes brain health and early detection. The government of Armenia’s primary strategic objectives and priorities of the plan include developing country-wide campaigns that focus on promoting awareness, visibility and decreasing stigma; encouraging early detection, diagnosis, and healthy strategies to reduce risks, as well as making systemic changes on the public’s view about dementia and supporting ways to improve the quality of life for the person.
The plan identifies the stages of the work that needs to be carried out, the important steps in raising awareness of risk factors, policies to be developed and the periods during which each phase will be implemented.
The key actions described in the plan are to organise awareness raising initiatives, drive direct population-level interventions and develop public policies to improve care and dementia - related outcomes.
The plan aims to have its actions implemented by 2026, with a number if activities already being carried out in parallel to give effect to the plan.