Dementia Society Holds Forum on 'Efficient Management of Alzheimer’s Dementia'

On the 23rd, participants are taking a commemorative photo at the 'Policy Improvement Discussion for Efficient Management of Alzheimer-type Dementia' held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul. (Photo by Korean Dementia Association)

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] The Korean Dementia Association announced on the 24th that it held a 'Policy Improvement Forum for Efficient Management of Alzheimer’s Type Dementia.'

The forum, held the previous afternoon at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, was hosted by Choi Jong-yoon, a member of the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, organized by the Korean Dementia Association, and supported by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The event proceeded with a keynote presentation on ‘A New Approach to Dementia Management Starting from the Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) Stage’ and a panel discussion on ‘Measures to Enhance the Efficiency of Dementia Management Policies.’

The keynote presentations featured Professor Chan-nyung Lee from the Department of Neurology at Korea University Anam Hospital and Professor Hojin Choi from the Department of Neurology at Hanyang University Guri Hospital. The panel discussion was chaired by Seok Seung-han, President of the Korean Neurological Association, with panelists including Professor Geon-se Lee from the Department of Preventive Medicine at Konkuk University, Eun-young Lee, Director of the Korea Patient Organization Federation, and Hye-young Kim, Director of the Dementia Policy Division at the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

Professor Chan-nyung Lee emphasized the clinical importance of MCI patients by explaining the rapid increase in MCI cases and the necessity of early treatment under the theme of ‘The Importance of Managing MCI Patients from the Medical Field.’ He highlighted the need for proactive treatments such as cognitive intervention therapy and the development of fundamental therapeutics that are evolving from ‘symptom relief’ to ‘intervention at the root cause of pathogenesis’.

Professor Hojin Choi also stressed the need for changes in dementia policies for managing MCI patients under the theme ‘The Necessity of Policy Changes for Dementia Patient Management.’ He explained that most new dementia drugs, including recent antibody therapies, are being developed for MCI and early-stage dementia patients, emphasizing the need for institutional improvements to facilitate clinical use of new dementia treatments and advocating for increased government support for dementia-related research.

Yang Dong-won, Director of the Korean Dementia Association, stated, “As we approach a ‘super-aged society’ where more than one in five citizens will be aged 65 or older, dementia is no longer someone else’s issue but a problem for our families and all citizens.” He added, “It is necessary to shift dementia policies toward prevention and to pay greater attention to MCI, the pre-dementia stage.”

Choi Jong-yoon, the forum’s host and a member of the National Assembly, also evaluated, “Dementia policy is an important part of aging countermeasures in response to the population crisis,” and said, “Policy efforts are needed to improve awareness of treatment options at the pre-dementia stage.”

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