Grandmother Jung Sunim is being interviewed after finishing aerobic exercise at the Care Health School in Daedeok-gu, Daejeon on November 6 last year. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

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The Care and Health School located in the commercial area of Jungri Jugong Apartment Complex 3 in Daedeok-gu, Daejeon, is the place where grandmother Jung Sunim (82) can finally fulfill her lifelong wish to learn. Every morning from Monday to Friday, Mrs. Jung takes a bus for an hour to "attend school" here.

Most of the seniors attending the Care and Health School are residents of apartments near Jungri-dong. Mrs. Jung lives in a detached house far away in Songcheon-dong. How did she come to be connected with this place? "How would I have known there was a Care and Health School here? I had no idea. I used to suffer from depression, and a social worker recommended this place to me. I called and asked if I could attend, and they told me to come. From the next day, I started coming and haven't missed a single day in half a year."

The reason Mrs. Jung insists on coming here instead of the local senior center is her goal to avoid dementia and not end up in a nursing home. At the school, there are dementia prevention activity classes every day from 10 a.m. for an hour. Following the rhythmic Fumi Net walking exercise, which helps boost cognitive abilities, she soon finds beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

On November 6 last year, elderly people were using the shared kitchen at the Care Health School located in Daedeok-gu, Daejeon. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

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Elderly people visiting Beopdong Care Health School located in Hanmaeum Apartment complex, Daedeok District, Daejeon on the 6th. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

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"If you get dementia, you have no choice but to go to a nursing home. From what I've seen with my friends, no one comes back from those places. I don't want to go to a nursing home. I'm comfortable and happy in the house I've lived in for over 50 years with my husband. All my friends are here too. If I want to keep living in my own home, I have to move more and use my brain. In that sense, this school is a huge help."

For lunch, she eats bread, a boiled egg, and soy milk she brings from home. At 1 p.m., it's time for an energetic aerobic exercise session with lively music. After that, she attends the ocarina class before heading home. Mrs. Jung said, "These days, every day feels worth living," adding, "After my husband passed away five years ago, I suffered from depression and had to take sleeping pills, but now I've stopped taking them."

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Last year, Daedeok-gu conducted a survey of randomly selected seniors among the 741 users of the Care and Health School. The results showed that both physical and mental health generally improved. Using a body composition analyzer, they found that 6.2 out of 10 people either improved or maintained their health. According to the Korean Geriatric Depression Scale, 7.4 out of 10 experienced reduced depression.

Kim Youngrae, head of the Integrated Care Policy Team in the Welfare Policy Division of Daedeok-gu, said, "The seniors attending the Care and Health School have become much more proactive in managing their health, and this is reflected in the numbers," adding, "This place is not just somewhere to pass the time, but a center providing meaningful care services for seniors."

On the 6th, a certification plaque for a children's educational institution was displayed on the exterior wall of Beopdong Care Health School, located in the Hanmaeum Apartment complex in Daedeok-gu, Daejeon. Beopdong Care Health School is a facility set up in the space of a closed daycare center. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

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