Finding Home and Healing at VOAH

Every morning, 80-year-old Anaida Atanesyan opens the window to let in the fresh air before beginning her day.

She prepares a natural face mask she made herself, applies lotion, and takes a few quiet moments to care for her skin. Anaida has always loved cosmetology, and even now she continues creating her own lotions and skincare as part of her daily routine.

“It may seem small,” she says, “but when I take care of myself, I feel alive and strong.”

These simple rituals bring rhythm and comfort to her days.

Anaida married very young, at just 18 years old. She raised two children and spent much of her life caring for others. One of her children passed away - a loss that remains deeply painful.

Three and a half years ago, Anaida faced a difficult turning point. After a serious heart surgery left her physically weak, she realized she could no longer live safely on her own.

“I understood something very clearly,” she says. “I cannot spend my life begging my brother or my son for help every time I need something.”

That realization led her to move into the Vanadzor Old Age Home, where she has now lived for three and a half years.

Today, Anaida says the home has given her something she had been missing for a long time: peace.

“This place saved me,” she says. “After my surgery, I needed care. Here, I found it.”

Today, Anaida begins each morning the same way: with fresh air, a quiet moment of gratitude, and the small rituals that help her feel like herself again.

For her, the Vanadzor Old Age Home is more than a place to live. After a difficult chapter of her life, it became the place where she found care, stability, and the chance to heal.

“I didn’t just find a roof over my head,” Anaida says. “I found a place where I can live with dignity.”