Comforting Dementia Concerns... Songpa-gu to Operate Two Mind Healing Programs in June

Healing Programs for Registered Patients and Families at Songpa-gu Dementia Safety Center from June to December
▲Utilizing Public Project Funding for Cultural Arts Programs and Healing Farms... Expanding Quantitative and Qualitative Experience Opportunities

Songpa-gu (Mayor Seo Gang-seok) announced that from June until the end of the year, it will operate two types of mind-healing programs supporting the happy daily lives of families with dementia patients registered at the Songpa-gu Dementia Safety Center (184 Chungmin-ro).

As aging accelerates, the district has been administratively responding to dementia, a representative geriatric disease, by opening the Dementia Safety Center in Jangji-dong in 2008 and promoting various projects ranging from dementia prevention, early screening, patient support and counseling, to awareness improvement.

In particular, the dementia family-targeted programs newly operated by the district from June have attracted attention as they were realized through close cooperation with other institutions. Along with the ▲Cultural Arts Healing Program, collaborated with Gyeongbokgung Art Hall, which was selected for the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service public project, the district expanded both the quantity and quality of healing programs with the ▲Customized Healing Farm specially created through the Seoul Agricultural Technology Center public project.

First, the ▲Cultural Arts Healing Program “Mind Healing, Like Spring,” starting on June 3, targets those aged 65 and over with mild cognitive impairment and high risk of dementia. Art therapists and artists from Gyeongbokgung Art Hall provide various experiential activities tailored to individual preferences, soothing anxious minds worried about illness and helping to lead a happy life.

The educational content includes various processes that aid physical and mental recovery such as ▲psychological stability and relationship building ▲emotional relaxation and ventilation ▲self-understanding and emotional release ▲personalized healing activities (physical activities, crafts, musical instrument playing, meditation, etc.), and will be operated over a total of 14 sessions until September.

Also, the customized healing agriculture program held at Songpa Community Center (20 Geomaro 8-gil) will run from June 11 to the end of the year for early-stage dementia patients and their caregiving families. Patients and family members cultivate a vegetable garden together, relieving stress accumulated in daily life and restoring tired minds, making it beneficial.

The program will be held eight times at the specially created healing farm in the Geoyeo-dong center. Participants will experience a variety of activities under the delicate guidance of agricultural experts, including ▲cultivating the vegetable garden ▲planting and harvesting crops ▲personalized healing activities (meditation, walking, etc.) ▲harvest-related activities such as vegetable bouquets, pressed flower frames, and cooking. It is designed to fully utilize the healing power of agriculture, such as improving memory and physical recovery, by touching soil and sweating.

The newly established programs are expected to reduce stress for dementia patients and their family members and add vitality to their daily lives. For program participation and other detailed information, please contact the Songpa-gu Dementia Safety Center.

Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, said, “Being able to bring healing to more dementia families through cooperation with other institutions is a good example of servant administration,” and added, “We will continue to spare no administrative support so that the residents, the sovereigns of this land, can enjoy a healthy and valuable life throughout their entire lives.”