Seongdong-gu Seongsu 1-ga 2-dong 'Dementia Safe Village' Development

Published 01 May.2020 09:00(KST)

Following the creation of the '1st Safe Village' in Kumho 2-3 Ga-dong in 2018, Seongsu 1-ga 2-dong was selected as the '2nd Safe Village' this year... 1,200 Dementia Partners Trained, Dementia Safe Paths Established, Free Dementia Screenings Provided

On the 29th of last month, an inaugural meeting for the operation committee was held following the selection of Seongsu 1-ga 2-dong as a Dementia Safe Village.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh) is creating a “Dementia Safe Village,” a community where the whole neighborhood cares for dementia patients and worries are alleviated, in Seongsu 1-ga 2-dong.

Seongsu 1-ga 2-dong, selected as the Dementia Safe Village this time, is home to the fifth largest number of dementia patients (180 people, 6.9%) in Seongdong-gu, and the number is steadily increasing.

Additionally, rapid development and changes in the Seongsu-dong area have led to an increase in elderly residents feeling relative deprivation and anxiety, and issues such as welfare blind spots caused by wealth disparity have also emerged in the region.

In response, the district established Kumho 2-3-ga-dong as the first Dementia Safe Village in 2018 to promote dementia prevention and a dementia-friendly environment, and this year selected Seongsu 1-ga 2-dong as the second Dementia Safe Village to operate.

The district first attracted a Dementia Safety Center, a security center, a health branch office, a small-scale senior welfare center, and a daycare center to the “Seongsu 1-ga 2-dong Public Complex Building” opened last year. This is to lay the foundation for establishing a comprehensive senior welfare hub support system.

The district will first train 1,200 dementia partners called “Memory Friends” who can naturally offer help whenever they see dementia patients anywhere in the neighborhood. Local residents and all staff at the Seongsu 1-ga 2-dong Community Service Center will be trained as dementia partners through “Memory Friends” education, aiming to have the community center selected as a “Dementia Overcoming Leading Institution.”

Also, through ▲ creation of Dementia Safe Paths (Safe Roadmaps) ▲ selection of Dementia Safe Certified Institutions ▲ dementia prevention education and awareness improvement campaigns ▲ free dementia screening ▲ customized case management, the district will create a senior-friendly environment where dementia patients can live without worries.

A district official said, “On the 29th, we held the ‘Seongsu 1-ga 2-dong Dementia Safe Village Agreement Ceremony and Operation Committee Inauguration’ with six local agreement and certification institutions including the Seongsu 1-ga 2-dong Community Service Center, Kookmin Bank Seoul Forest Branch, and Ttukseom Station Shopping District Merchants Association,” adding, “The help of various local organizations and residents is the most essential part of creating a Dementia Safe Village.”

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “We will do our best to create a Dementia Safe Village in the Seongsu area, where the dementia population is rapidly increasing, so that elderly dementia patients can be cared for and enjoy a normal life.”