Gimhae-si, Juchon Yangdong Village Creates 'Dementia-Friendly' Environment

Volunteers from Gimhae-si, Gyeongnam, are painting murals in Yangdong Village, Juchon-myeon, the "Memory Filling Village," together with local residents.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Sang-hyun] Gimhae City, Gyeongnam, created a mural on the fence in Yangdong Village, Juchon-myeon, under the theme "Memory Flowers Have Bloomed" in the "Memory Filling Village."

The "Memory Filling Village" project aims to create a dementia-friendly environment so that dementia patients and their families can live safely and independently within the local community. In 2019, Jujung Village and Gamnae Village in Daedong-myeon were selected, and in 2021, Yangdong Village and Naesam Village in Juchon-myeon were chosen and are currently operating.

According to the city on the 28th, this project involved participation from seven organizations and groups, including the Gimhae Art Association Mural Volunteer Group, the Cultural City Center, Moduda Art Association, the city's Culture and Arts Division, Juchon-myeon Administrative Welfare Center, Juchon-myeon Health Committee, and the Dementia Relief Center.

About 40 talented volunteers worked together to create the mural. Professional artists from the Art Association and Moduda Art Association handled the sketches and finishing touches, while volunteers from the Health Committee and dementia partners, along with village residents, painted the mural.

The village entrance was filled with colorful flowers on the walls, including a drawing of Danbi, the dementia partner character.

Volunteers and residents spent precious time sharing memories, expressing the lives of the elderly full of various memories with flowers of many colors, so that those memories could be cherished for a long time.

Additionally, the fence in front of the senior center was decorated with images such as a mailbox that contains stories recalling memories and various tales, transforming the old and worn wall into a lovely space and turning it into a landmark where local elders can enjoy pleasant moments.

A resident who participated in the mural painting said, "Seeing the plain fence filled with paintings with the help of the teachers makes me feel that I am still a useful person, and I feel very proud."

Lee Jong-hak, the head of the health center, said, "Through this project, I hope that community members will correctly understand dementia and that it will help create a social atmosphere where people with dementia and their families can live together."