Geochang-gun, 'Dreaming Memory Youth' Memory School Opens

Dementia Prevention Program Targeting a Total of 1,003 Residents

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] Geochang-gun, Gyeongnam Province, has been actively implementing the dementia prevention program "Dreaming Memory Youth" since the 13th, targeting a total of 1,003 residents from 65 villages across 11 myeon (townships) in the area, operated by 29 local health institutions.

To address dementia prevention, a top concern for the growing elderly population each year, the Geochang-gun Dementia Safety Center has been continuously running dementia prevention programs since 2021 for residents in myeon areas with limited accessibility.

Last year, before and after the dementia prevention program, 63% of participants showed an increase in cognitive screening test scores, with an average improvement of 2 points. Subjective memory abilities, including cognitive function, also improved, indicating that the dementia prevention program helped maintain daily living activities.

Elderly people are attending classes at the Dreaming Memory Youth Memory School in Geochang-gun, Gyeongnam.

Additionally, participant satisfaction was found to be high, and based on this, more substantial and specialized programs will be provided to village elders this year as well.

The main content includes dementia prevention education, easy-to-follow art and craft methods for participating elders, dementia prevention physical activities (fine motor activities), and brain cell stimulation activities (laughter therapy, customized brain health education), all cognitive enhancement programs beneficial for dementia prevention. These are flexibly operated according to village circumstances over up to 24 sessions per village.

County Governor Gu In-mo stated, "I hope more elders participate in the dementia prevention cognitive enhancement program to have enjoyable and happy times. We will continue to strive to create a society safe from dementia through various dementia management projects."

Since December last year, Geochang-gun has been supporting cognitive enhancement activities for elders using coloring books, with high participation and response, including 928 elders from 58 villages so far. This year, coloring books of varying difficulty levels will be prepared and provided as needed.