Yangjae·Naegok Area, Bangbae Area, Seocho Area Established
New Dementia Safe Village Designated in Seocho Area Next Year
Seocho-gu plans to newly designate the Seocho area as a Dementia Safe Village next year. Provided by Seocho-gu.
Seocho-gu, Seoul (Mayor Jeon Seong-su) announced on the 6th that it is operating three areas?Naegok-dong, Yangjae 1-dong, and Bangbae 2-dong?as ‘Dementia Safe Villages’ and aims to receive certification as ‘Excellent Dementia Safe Villages’ from the Ministry of Health and Welfare by 2026, thereby establishing three dementia safe village zones: Yangjae-Naegok area, Bangbae area, and Seocho area.
These areas have high aging populations and increasing rates of elderly living alone, and next year, the Seocho zone dementia safe village is planned to be newly designated.
Dementia Safe Villages provide an environment where dementia patients and their families can maintain social activities while living comfortably and safely alongside neighbors in their residential areas. Seocho-gu has been operating dementia safe villages since 2018, starting with Naegok-dong, followed by Yangjae 1-dong in 2020, and Bangbae 2-dong last year.
Naegok-dong and Yangjae 1-dong were already selected as ‘Excellent Dementia Safe Villages’ by the Ministry of Health and Welfare last year. The district is making efforts to have Bangbae 2-dong selected as an ‘Excellent Dementia Safe Village’ this year and is conducting various programs tailored to local characteristics through the ‘Seocho-type Dementia Safe Village’ operation.
In Seocho-gu’s Dementia Safe Villages, programs such as the ‘1:1 Customized Cognitive Rehabilitation Program,’ where dementia specialists visit homes directly, are offered, along with ▲‘Professional Treatment Support’ to reduce the caregiving burden on dementia families ▲and psychological recovery programs.
Additionally, for vulnerable elderly dementia patients in need of assistance, the ‘Seoripul Memory Care Volunteer Group’ has been organized to provide neighborhood daily experience programs such as accompanying hospital visits, grocery shopping, walking, and tea drinking.
In Yangjae 1-dong and Bangbae 2-dong children’s parks and walking trails, dementia prevention information is provided through dementia prevention bulletin boards, logo projectors introducing the dementia safe villages, and voice guidance devices for dementia safe villages. Furthermore, the ‘2nd Dementia Safe Zone Photo Certification Event,’ which invites submissions of certification photos on dementia safe paths, has been held, and projects to create dementia-friendly environments are being promoted.
Alongside this, 90 locations including libraries, police stations, pharmacies, cafes, and convenience stores have been designated as ‘Dementia Safe Village Partner Institutions’ to increase local residents’ understanding of dementia. Starting this year, 10 dementia hub pharmacies will be designated to operate ‘Neighborhood Health Consultation Rooms’ that provide health counseling and companionship for the elderly.
Mayor Jeon Seong-su stated, “We will strive even harder to create ‘Seocho, a Dementia Safe City’ by establishing a differentiated dementia prevention system so that residents can enjoy a healthy old age.”
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