Seoul Gangseo-gu Dementia Prevention Project Excellence!

At the 13th Dementia Overcoming Day Ceremony, Gangseo-gu Dementia Relief Center Director Awarded 'National Medal', Center Receives 'Minister of Health and Welfare Commendation'

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Noh Hyun-song) announced that the Gangseo-gu Dementia Safety Center (Director Jeong Ji-hyang) received the ‘Ministerial Commendation’ and Director Jeong Ji-hyang was awarded the ‘Order of Civil Merit (Gukmin Pojang)’ at the 13th Dementia Overcoming Day ceremony held on the 21st.

At the ceremony, awards were presented including one Order of Civil Merit, five Presidential Commendations, and seven Prime Minister Commendations, as well as commendations for outstanding dementia prevention management institutions and excellent programs.

Director Jeong Ji-hyang has been dedicated to solving dementia issues since the opening of the Gangseo-gu Dementia Safety Center in 2009 and was recognized for her contributions to addressing dementia problems on a social level.

In particular, she was awarded the ‘Order of Civil Merit’ for her achievements in reducing social costs related to dementia and helping dementia patients and their families maintain normal lives through initiatives such as ▲community-tailored early dementia screening ▲establishing prevention measures for intensive screening subjects ▲alleviating caregiving burdens on dementia families ▲operating various cognitive rehabilitation programs.

Additionally, the Gangseo-gu Dementia Safety Center was recognized for its multifaceted efforts in promoting dementia management projects and received the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s ‘Ministerial Commendation’ in the dementia excellent program category.

The center designates and operates three dementia-safe villages as a specialized project to build a dementia-friendly social network and support the happy daily lives of dementia patients.

It also introduced the ‘Smile Brain School’ system for seniors in the pre-dementia stage, establishing a cognitive enhancement model that prevents dementia onset and improves lifestyle habits.

Furthermore, to prevent the spread of COVID-19, ongoing projects have been converted to non-face-to-face formats, operating ‘Dementia E-Care.’

Online classes using YouTube, KakaoTalk channels, and ZOOM were selected by the Ministry of Health and Welfare as an ‘Active Administration Case Utilizing ICT Technology’ and have been disseminated as best practices to 17 cities and provinces nationwide.

Building on this award, the center plans to continue expanding various services for dementia patients and their families, including non-face-to-face dementia prevention programs.

Jo Sun-ok, Director of the Health Management Division, said, “We are pleased that the efforts of our staff who have worked hard to create a dementia-free Gangseo-gu have been recognized through this commendation. Although we are going through a difficult time due to COVID-19, we understand this as a call to work even harder and will actively strive to advance our projects.”