Why Does Jongno-gu Dementia Relief Center Operate Year-Round?

Operation of various programs for dementia awareness improvement, prevention, early detection, and families... This year, focused efforts on providing care supplies, supporting dementia treatment costs, and intensive management of elderly in blind spots... 18 professionals including medical staff and social workers working at the center

1st Floor Family Cafe

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] There is a disease so devastating that even the most beloved family and friends fail to recognize the patient, earning it the nickname "the saddest disease in the world."

This is "dementia," a condition that makes it difficult to maintain daily life due to impairments in memory as well as various cognitive functions. As dementia is increasingly recognized as a national care issue rather than just a family matter, local governments are taking various steps to improve symptoms in dementia patients.

Jongno-gu (Mayor Kim Young-jong) operates the "Jongno-gu Dementia Safety Center" year-round to reduce the mental, physical, and economic burdens on dementia patients and their families, aiming to create a community free from dementia worries.

Since its inception in 2009, the center has served as a hub supporting dementia patients aged 60 and older in the area, managing appropriate care at each stage, including dementia awareness improvement, prevention, early detection, family classes, and cognitive rehabilitation programs.

It also provides "integrated dementia management" services, which include support for dementia screening and treatment costs for low-income groups and building a dementia support network linked with community resources.

In 2021, the center focused on ▲providing care supplies ▲supporting dementia treatment costs ▲intensive management of elderly in blind spots ▲fingerprint registration services and providing wandering prevention necklaces.

The "care supplies and treatment costs," which include free provision of diapers and waterproof pads necessary for care, target low-income residents.

Support for dementia treatment costs aims to reduce the family’s burden and help manage dementia early to improve symptoms.

Additionally, the center provides and connects related services for dementia elderly in care blind spots through intensive management, and offers fingerprint registration and wandering prevention necklace services to prevent disappearance and ensure quick return home if missing.

Currently, the center employs a total of 18 professionals, including specialized medical staff, social workers, occupational therapists, clinical psychologists, and exercise therapists, working to alleviate the burdens of dementia elderly and their families and to prevent severe dementia.

Those wishing to use the center’s services can contact the Jongno-gu Dementia Safety Center directly by phone or make online reservations. For more detailed information, the Dementia Safety Center website can be consulted, which also provides guidance on dementia safety primary care medical institutions in the area.

Meanwhile, Jongno-gu completed renovation, reinforcement, and interior work in June last year to provide residents with a more comfortable center environment, and held an opening ceremony in late October via a non-face-to-face method due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

Through remodeling, the number of "examination rooms" where elderly can comfortably receive check-ups was expanded to three, and a "program room" was created to conduct and exhibit music, art, and horticulture education.

A new "Memory Enhancement School" program was established for elderly with mild cognitive impairment who can still perform daily activities but whose cognitive functions are gradually declining, and a "family cafe" was newly installed to help patients’ families rest and exchange information, receiving positive responses.

Mayor Kim Young-jong said, "We will maintain steady interest and efforts to help dementia patients and their families and to create a community where everyone can live without worries, whether or not they have dementia."

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