Jungnang-gu Designates Junghwa 1-dong as the 5th Dementia Safe Village

Dementia Awareness Improvement Campaign, Discovery of Dementia-Friendly Stores, Designation of Dementia-Safe Senior Centers Planned

‘Dementia-Friendly City’ Jungnang-gu (Mayor Ryu Gyeong-gi) has added another ‘Dementia Safe Village.’

When dementia patients reach the middle stage, it becomes difficult to care for them at home, often leading to admission to care facilities. In such cases, not only does the condition of dementia patients worsen, but significant costs also arise, increasing the burden on their caregiving families.

To change this environment and reduce the burden on dementia patients and their families, the district has been establishing ‘Dementia Safe Villages’ since 2019.

A ‘Dementia Safe Village’ refers to a community where, based on the understanding and proper awareness of dementia by families and the local community, dementia patients and their families can live safely and together without relocating from their homes.

With the recent designation of Junghwa 1-dong as a Dementia Safe Village, Jungnang-gu now has a total of five Dementia Safe Villages.

On the 10th, a business agreement was signed to support this initiative. Jungnang-gu, Jungnang-gu Public Health Center, and Jungnang-gu Dementia Safe Center joined hands to create Junghwa 1-dong as a village safe from dementia.

The district plans to conduct dementia awareness improvement campaigns targeting local communities such as banks, schools, and community centers. It will also carry out various dementia-related projects that local residents can experience, including discovering dementia-safe affiliated stores to establish a community safety net for wandering dementia patients, designating dementia-safe senior centers, and providing cognitive programs.

In particular, the Jungnang-gu Dementia Safe Center will offer the ‘Memory Theater’ as a specialized project for Dementia Safe Villages. This program allows early-stage dementia patients and their families to participate and share stories through films.

Additionally, the district intends to continuously develop various programs to change residents’ perceptions of dementia and help prevent it.

Mayor Ryu Gyeong-gi stated, “One of the difficulties faced by dementia patients is the negative perception of neighbors. Taking this Dementia Safe Village designation as an opportunity, we will strive to foster correct understanding and improve negative perceptions of dementia, creating a community where dementia patients, their families, and local residents can live together harmoniously.”

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