Gwangjin-gu Produces Booklet "A Tender Story I Want to Tell You"

Creating a booklet capturing the thoughts and memories of elderly dementia patients
Bi-monthly interviews conducted by specialized dementia volunteers visiting seniors' homes
Completed booklets to be distributed to local libraries and also produced as videos for YouTube posting

Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Kyung-ho) has produced a booklet titled "A Tender Story I Want to Tell You," which contains the lives and lessons of elderly people with dementia.

As the elderly population rapidly increases, dementia has emerged as a significant social health issue. In response, the district prepared this project to prevent the social isolation of elderly dementia patients and to improve awareness about dementia.

"A Tender Story I Want to Tell You" is a collection of stories in which elderly dementia patients are not merely recipients of help but convey life wisdom, happiness, regrets, and realizations through their memories, imparting life lessons to younger generations.

From April for about six months, specialized dementia volunteers visited patients' homes twice a month to conduct interviews. Student volunteers engaged with elderly dementia patients, deeply exploring each individual's life and recording the messages the elders wished to pass on to the next generation through writing and photography.

The completed booklet will be distributed not only to 17 regional dementia centers and 256 dementia safety centers nationwide but also to local dementia overcoming leading libraries and elementary, middle, and high school libraries. Additionally, the interviews were produced as videos. These videos can be viewed on the Gwangjin-gu Dementia Safety Center YouTube channel.

Kim Kyung-ho, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, stated, "Through the production of this booklet containing the memories and lessons of elderly dementia patients, we expect social awareness of dementia to become more inclusive and positive. Going forward, Gwangjin-gu will actively discover and promote substantial projects for the care of elderly dementia patients in cooperation with the local community."