[The Era of 10 Million Elderly]⑤ 'Dementia Relief Centers' Filling Welfare Blind Spots for Dementia... "Thanks to Them, Life Is Barely Livable"

Brain-Stimulating Classes Twice a Week for 3 Hours... "Preventing Deterioration Is Most Important"
Dementia Caregivers Say, "Grateful for Help... Cannot Care Alone at Home"
Community Creates 'Dementia-Safe Village' Through 'Dementia-Safe Stores' and More

"Oh! I found it here." "Well done. You found them all. Perfect!" Around 1 p.m. on the 11th, the classroom at the Seoul Gwangjin-gu Dementia Relief Center was bustling with occupational therapists encouraging dementia patients as they solved word puzzles. Even those who couldn’t find the answers were stimulated with prompts like, "You found spinach, you found cabbage, but where are the perilla leaves and corn?" to activate their brains.

Around 1 p.m. on the 11th at the Dementia Safety Center in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, an occupational therapist is leading a program for brain activity of dementia patients during the 'Dementia Patient Memory Care Shelter' class.
Photo by Tae-won Choi peaceful1@

The program is called 'Dementia Patient Memory Care Shelter.' It runs twice a week for three hours each session, with a total of four classes and about 60 dementia patients participating. On this day, 11 dementia patients attended the class. The puzzle involved finding simple words commonly encountered in daily life, such as bicycle, motorcycle, spinach, and cabbage, but it was not always easy for them. Some found a word in 3 to 4 seconds, but others took more than 20 seconds without finding a simple word. The speed varied depending on the progression of dementia, but all participants searched for words, erasing wrong answers hesitantly, trying to solve the puzzle on their own.

Mr. Kim Woo-sul (86, male), whose wife has had dementia since 2020, said, "To take better care of my wife, I even obtained a caregiving certificate after turning 80, but it is impossible for a single caregiver at home to properly manage a dementia patient." He added, "We receive a lot of help from the Dementia Relief Center. My wife also really enjoys coming to the center twice a week. Since receiving care here, the progression of her condition has noticeably slowed."

At the same time, in the lounge next to the classroom, a knitting class for caregivers was in full swing. The Gwangjin-gu Dementia Relief Center operates not only programs for dementia patients but also counseling and healing programs for caregivers. About ten caregivers who brought their dementia family members moved their knitting needles by hand, occasionally looking at each other and smiling, while sharing the difficulties of dementia caregiving and sighing together.

Song Sin-ae, head of the Cognitive Family Team at the Gwangjin-gu Dementia Relief Center, explained, "We provide dementia patients with diverse and specialized brain stimulation activities to slow the progression of dementia and help them maintain daily living activities as long as possible. We also offer programs that allow caregivers to feel emotional support and exchange information with each other, helping to relieve the emotional difficulties that arise during dementia caregiving."

In Gwangjin-gu, there are 39 Dementia Relief Affiliate Stores connected to the Dementia Relief Center. If elderly customers entering these stores exhibit suspicious dementia behaviors, such as repeatedly purchasing the same item or wandering, the store contacts the Gwangjin-gu Dementia Relief Center, the police station, or government offices to hand over the case. They also introduce the Dementia Relief Center to customers and local residents.

Mr. Mo Yang-won, owner of 'Yang's Coffee,' a Dementia Relief Affiliate Store, said, "My father is also a dementia patient, so I quit my job and opened this caf? to take care of him." He added, "Both the Dementia Relief Center and the Dementia Relief Affiliate Stores are systems in Gwangjin-gu that allow dementia families to live with peace of mind." He continued, "I personally learned in detail what I need to know to take good care of my father at the Gwangjin-gu Dementia Relief Center and received various support. When dementia patients visit my store, I will protect them as safely as possible with the same care I have for my father."