[One Day 10,000 Steps One Day 1,000 Characters] Senior Citizens Association and Barefoot Walking Movement Headquarters, "Nationwide Movement for a Dementia-Free Country"

The Korea Senior Citizens Association and the Barefoot Walking National Movement Headquarters have joined hands to create a dementia-free country.

On the 20th, Kim Ho-il, president of the Korea Senior Citizens Association, and Park Dong-chang, president of the Barefoot Walking National Movement Headquarters, signed a "Dementia Prevention Campaign" business agreement in the meeting room of the Korea Senior Citizens Association, agreeing to actively cooperate to promote the health of elderly people in Korea and improve their quality of life through barefoot walking.

Following this business agreement, the two organizations will form a joint task force (TF) to promote the "Nationwide Movement to Create a Dementia-Free Country" and launch a "Dementia Prevention Barefoot Walking Campaign" in collaboration with newspapers and broadcasters. They will also invite patients with mild dementia to participate in a "Full-day Barefoot Walking Program" and jointly hold "Dementia Prevention Barefoot Walking Competitions" through their branches in various regions.

President Kim Ho-il stated, "As the aging society progresses, ensuring that elderly people live healthy lives has become the most important task for our society, and the two organizations should actively cooperate for the health of the elderly." President Park Dong-chang said, "In the unfortunate reality where many elderly people suffer from diseases, taking handfuls of medicine daily and eventually lying in nursing homes or hospitals until death, let us work together so that more elderly people can prevent dementia through barefoot walking and enjoy healthy lives."

Following this business agreement, the Muju Korea Senior Citizens Association Training Center will include "Lectures and Practice on Barefoot Walking for Dementia Prevention" in its educational curriculum. Additionally, various barefoot walking courses are expected to be offered nationwide to presidents of city and provincial senior citizens associations, heads of district branches, and members of senior centers. A large-print edition of Park Dong-chang’s book, "Barefoot Walking Saved Me," will be printed in large quantities and distributed to elderly people with poor eyesight.

The two organizations plan to form a joint TF to actively promote the dementia prevention campaign and hold a launching ceremony for the (tentatively named) "Nationwide Movement for Dementia Prevention" in spring 2024. This event will include representatives from both organizations, social elders who agree on the necessity of dementia prevention efforts, local government heads, political figures, celebrities, civic groups, the National Health Insurance Service, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

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