"Protecting the Golden Hour"... Hampyeong County Conducts Dementia Elderly Missing Response Drill

On the 26th, Hampyeong County conducted a 'Dementia Elderly Missing Prevention and Response Drill' around the Gokchang 1-ri Senior Center in collaboration with the county health center's Dementia Safety Center. Provided by Hampyeong County, Jeollanam-do

Hampyeong County in Jeollanam-do has launched a practical training program involving residents and related organizations to ensure the safety of elderly people with dementia, aiming to establish a systematic response system.

On September 30, Hampyeong County announced that it had conducted a 'Dementia Elderly Missing Prevention and Response Drill' in collaboration with the county health center's Dementia Relief Center. The drill, held on the 26th around the Gokchang 1-ri Senior Center, involved more than 40 participants, including officials from Hampyeong Police Station, Hampyeong Fire Station, and local residents.

This drill was designed to enhance the response capabilities of both residents and related organizations in the event of a missing elderly person with dementia. It followed a simulated scenario of a dementia patient going missing, with the goal of ensuring a rapid and systematic response. Gokchang 1-ri is designated as a Dementia Relief Village, where residents are already attentive and understanding toward dementia care, which helped maximize the effectiveness of the training.

After a missing person report was filed by a guardian, participants began the search following a broadcast announcement by the village chief. Police, firefighters, and residents formed teams to search the entire village.

Utilizing advanced equipment such as drones for aerial searches and fingerprint registration for identification, the teams successfully located the missing elderly person and safely returned them to their guardian.

Additionally, before and after the drill, the county provided information about follow-up management services from the Dementia Relief Center, conducted education on prevention and response methods for missing cases, and ran a dementia awareness campaign to encourage resident participation and further strengthen response capabilities.

County Governor Lee Sangik stated, "A swift response is critical in cases of missing elderly people with dementia," and added, "We will continue to strengthen the dementia safety net through practical, resident-centered training programs."

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