Dongjak-gu Develops and Distributes Dementia Management App for COVID-19 Response

Development and Distribution of Dementia Management Application for Early Dementia Patients... YouTube and KakaoTalk Channels Enable Dementia Prevention, Cognitive Activities, and Real-Time Consultation at Home

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Dongjak-gu (Mayor Lee Chang-woo) is developing and distributing the ‘Dongjak-gu Dementia Safety Center’ smart application (hereafter referred to as the smart app) to minimize the care gap for dementia caused by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

The smart app is a contactless dementia management program that supports mild cognitive impairment and dementia patients registered at the Dongjak-gu Dementia Safety Center to manage their dementia independently at home.

The detailed features include ▲Physical exercise (stretching gymnastics using exercise videos) ▲Brain exercise (cognitive function training through the Meta360 program) ▲My Day (daily activity checklist) ▲Medication alarm (time-based medication alarm with pill images), among others.

The district converts individual usage frequency of each app feature into points to give gifts, encourages users with low usage frequency through non-face-to-face counseling, and continuously manages and motivates users to consistently use the smart app.

Additionally, for seniors spending more time at home due to COVID-19, simple searches enable dementia prevention and cognitive activities through newly launched YouTube and KakaoTalk channels.

On the Dongjak-gu Dementia Safety Center YouTube channel, viewers can watch videos on ▲How to use the smart application ▲Rules for using the Dongjak-gu Dementia Safety Center ▲Directions to the Dongjak-gu Dementia Safety Center, as well as useful videos such as ▲Dementia prevention exercises ▲Introduction to Dementia Safety Center projects and services ▲Information on local dementia safety primary care physicians.

The KakaoTalk channel allows real-time access to the latest information, support services from the Dongjak-gu Dementia Safety Center, and answers to residents’ dementia-related questions through 1:1 chat.

Along with this, the district conducts dementia screening tests for seniors aged 75 (born in 1945). Since 2017, the district has been promoting a dementia screening project targeting seniors aged 75, an age group with a rapidly increasing risk of dementia.

To prevent COVID-19 infection, dementia screenings are conducted by reservation at the Dongjak-gu Dementia Safety Center (2025 Nambusunhwan-ro, Dongjak-gu) on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. For seniors with mobility difficulties, dementia screening services are also available by reservation at the Sadang branch office and local community centers according to schedule.

The Sadang branch office operates every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 12 noon.

After the dementia screening, if cognitive decline is detected, a first detailed examination is conducted, followed by a second detailed examination by a psychiatrist. If dementia is suspected later, a third and final confirmation can be obtained at Seoul Boramae Hospital, Chung-Ang University Hospital, and other hospitals affiliated with the district.

Dementia screening is available not only for seniors aged 75 but also for any Dongjak-gu resident aged 60 or older. For more details, contact the Dongjak-gu Dementia Safety Center.

Last year, the district completed screenings for 1,695 out of 2,607 seniors aged 75, achieving a screening rate of 65%, discovering 68 dementia cases and 94 high-risk dementia cases, and linking them to treatment.

Kim Hyung-sook, the Health Manager, said, “We developed and distributed the smart application to provide integrated dementia management services,” adding, “We will do our best to create a healthy Dongjak where people can feel safe from dementia.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.