Gwangju Dong-gu Launches "Visiting Neighborhood Memory Screening" to Address Gaps in Dementia Care

Exterior view of Gwangju Dong-gu Office.

The Gwangju Dong-gu Dementia Relief Center announced on March 24 that it will launch the “Visiting Neighborhood Memory Screening” program, which involves visiting local communities in person to address gaps in dementia medical care and support healthy aging for senior citizens.

Beginning with Jiwon 1-dong on March 23, Dong-gu will carry out the “Visiting Neighborhood Memory Screening” for seniors in all 13 neighborhoods in the district through next month.

The purpose of this initiative is to significantly improve residents’ access to dementia screening and enable early detection of high-risk groups for dementia. In particular, to more closely monitor the mental health of seniors in their later years, the program will also include depression screening tests in collaboration with the Dong-gu Mental Health Welfare Center.

Those classified as high risk for dementia based on screening results will be referred to the Dong-gu Dementia Relief Center for secondary diagnostic testing, and will be provided with customized dementia prevention programs tailored to their condition.

In addition, for seniors who are ultimately diagnosed with dementia, a comprehensive post-diagnosis support system will be offered, including: ▲ provision of care supplies ▲ operation of dementia patient respite care programs ▲ support for patient families. These services are aimed at reducing the burden of care caused by dementia and improving quality of life.

An official from Dong-gu stated, “As the aging population leads to a steady increase in dementia and other age-related diseases, proactive prevention and management are more important than ever. We will continue to focus on on-site, field-oriented administration and comprehensive support to ensure that no gaps in community-based dementia care are left unaddressed.”

Meanwhile, since its opening in 2018, the Dong-gu Dementia Relief Center has served as a key hub for building a community dementia safety net, conducting annual “Visiting Neighborhood Memory Screening” programs for early detection of dementia, among other initiatives.

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