Masan Municipal Masan Nursing Hospital Opens as Dementia Safety Hospital

On April 23, Masan Municipal Masan Nursing Hospital in Changwon Special City, South Gyeongsang Province, was designated as a "Dementia Safety Hospital" by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and held its opening ceremony.

Opening Ceremony of Dementia Safety Hospital Designation.

This designation aims to provide professional and systematic treatment and care for dementia patients in the region, and is expected to significantly reduce the burden on families of dementia patients.

The hospital completed expansion and remodeling of its wards with approximately 1.8 billion KRW in national and local government funding. By connecting the four-story main building with an annex, the hospital established a dementia safety ward with a total floor area of 1,208.97 square meters, consisting of 14 rooms and 55 beds.

The ward features dementia-friendly spaces such as a nursing station, counseling room, patient lounge, bathing room, horticultural therapy room, and specialized program rooms. In addition, 158 units of 22 types of state-of-the-art medical equipment have been newly installed, greatly improving the clinical environment.

The Dementia Safety Hospital system is a designation by the Minister of Health and Welfare, under the Dementia Management Act, for hospital-level medical institutions equipped with dedicated personnel such as specialists, nurses, and occupational therapists, as well as dedicated facilities and equipment. In particular, these hospitals specialize in the inpatient treatment and management of patients exhibiting behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), including delusions, aggression, and wandering.

Ha Chungshik, CEO of Masan Municipal Masan Nursing Hospital, stated, "Being designated as a Dementia Safety Hospital is more than just an expansion of facilities; it is a meaningful step toward safeguarding the quality of life for seniors in the community. We will care for each patient as if they were our own family and establish ourselves as a trusted public medical institution."

Lee Jiryeon, head of Masan Public Health Center, said, "We will continue to work with the local community to build a comprehensive dementia management system."

Kim Igeun, a city council member, stated, "We will spare no policy support to realize a dementia-safe city."