Incheon Namdong-gu, 'Smart App-Based Brain Exercise' Shows Significant Dementia Prevention Effects

Namdong-gu, Incheon announced on the 2nd that the 'Smart App Brain Exercise Dementia Prevention Class,' introduced to reduce the likelihood of dementia onset, is showing positive effects.

The district recently conducted a mid-term evaluation to verify the effectiveness of the program on 149 participants, including those attending the dementia prevention class and a control group not receiving the service. The evaluation was conducted at welfare centers and the Namdong-gu Public Health Center using the Cognitive Impairment Screening Test (K-CIST) and the Korean Geriatric Depression Scale (KGDS).

As a result, among the dementia prevention class participants, 92 individuals?about 69% of the total?showed either an increase or no change in their cognitive screening test scores compared to the pre-evaluation. Additionally, 102 participants, approximately 77% of the total, showed a decrease or no change in their geriatric depression scale scores, indicating positive changes.

This program utilizes a smartphone application (app) to provide participants with various brain exercise programs aimed at reducing the risk of dementia onset.

Through this mid-term evaluation, participants expressed positive feedback such as "I look forward to seeing what recommended activities will come up each day," "It's great to be able to do it anytime regardless of the weather," and "It helps prevent dementia." It was especially noted that the program not only improved cognitive function but also helped alleviate depression among the elderly.

Brain Exercise Program Using Smart Apps [Provided by Namdong-gu, Incheon]

The Smart App Brain Exercise Dementia Prevention Class, which began in March, is scheduled to continue until the end of October. Based on the mid-term evaluation results, an update to the dementia prevention specialized app reflecting improvements is forthcoming.

Park Jong-hyo, the district mayor, stated, "This evaluation confirmed the positive effects of the program," adding, "We will enhance service satisfaction by considering participants’ on-site feedback and review expanding the program so that more people can benefit from the service."

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