Dongdaemun-gu Promotes Healing Program for Seniors Using Companion Plants

Promotion of 'Citizen Safety Companion Plant Distribution Project' for Customized Local Care and Mild Dementia Seniors
On the 25th, a 'Companion Plant Exhibition' will be held showcasing plant pots made by seniors themselves

Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) successfully concluded the "Citizen Safe Companion Plant Distribution Project," which began in the first half of this year, and will hold a "Companion Plant Exhibition" from the 25th to the 26th to share the project's achievements with residents.

The "Companion Plant Distribution Project" is aimed at providing companion plants to low-income elderly living alone who are exposed to various social issues such as depression, dementia, and solitary death, helping them regain vitality and emotional stability in their lives.

Dongdaemun-gu was selected in a Seoul city public contest earlier this year and conducted the "Companion Plant Distribution" program from June to July for a total of 80 elderly people using the Dongdaemun Senior Welfare Center and Euncheon Home Care Senior Support Center.

This program allows the elderly to choose their preferred companion plant from five types: Pachira, Rubber Tree, Money Plant, Stucky, and Yeoincho. The plants are then delivered to their homes or centers. A flower expert visits in person to provide guidance on plant care, making it easy for the elderly to nurture their companion plants.

From late June to late July, a "Horticultural Therapy Program" was held six times for 30 early-stage dementia elderly using the Hongneung Cultural Welfare Center.

The program included activities such as ▲Creating My Own Garden ▲Planting Air-Purifying Plants ▲Making a Flower Bed at Home, where participants engaged in various horticultural activities using companion plants with a horticulture specialist, helping the elderly restore self-esteem and share positive energy.

From the 25th to the 26th, the district office will host a "Companion Plant Exhibition" on the 2nd floor Art Gallery to share the achievements of the companion plant distribution project with residents. The exhibition will display 70 companion plant pots carefully nurtured by 100 elderly participants since the first half of this year, along with 90 beautifully decorated pots from the horticultural therapy program.

Lee Pil-hyung, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, stated, "I hope visitors to this exhibition will find healing by seeing the beautifully grown companion plants," and added, "We will strive to create 'Dongdaemun-gu, the City of Flowers' by expanding green spaces in the city using flowers and plants so that residents can encounter flowers and find healing wherever they walk."