Residents Prevent Missing Dementia Patients ... Uiseong County's "Missing Person Prevention Project"

◆ "Hands-on Training" with Direct Resident Participation
◆ "A Dementia-Friendly Safety Net Built by the Community"

Uiseong County in North Gyeongsang Province has successfully completed the "2025 Dementia Overcoming and Missing Person Prevention Project" as a proactive response to an aging society.

Gyeongbuk Uiseong County Institution Leads Nationwide Dementia Overcoming Project with Combined Simulation Training and Role-Playing Scenario.

On September 4, the county conducted a simulation training to enhance response capabilities to missing person incidents involving dementia patients. The event took place at the abandoned Bian Branch of Idu Elementary School in Bian-myeon, with participation from over 100 local residents as well as related organizations, including the police, fire department, and nursing hospitals.

◆ "Hands-on Training" with Direct Resident Participation

This project went beyond simple education and was organized as a "hands-on training" in which residents directly experienced the response process. Participants reenacted the discovery of a wandering dementia patient, reporting to 112, and the handover process to the police through a role-playing scenario, gaining practical experience. In the subsequent simulation training, residents themselves carried out the entire process of reporting, searching, and handing over, allowing for a thorough review of the response system.

Side events included a fingerprint pre-registration campaign by the Uiseong Police Station, a CPR experience by the Uiseong Fire Department, and a promotional booth by the Uiseong County Public Nursing Hospital's dementia-leading organization, all of which drew significant interest from residents. One elderly participant commented, "Learning concrete response methods for dementia, which I had vaguely feared, has been a great help."

◆ "A Dementia-Friendly Safety Net Built by the Community"

County Governor Kim Jusu stated, "Through this training, we will further strengthen the cooperation system among related organizations and create a local environment where both dementia patients and their families can feel secure. We will continue to actively respond to an aging society by managing high-risk groups for dementia, providing missing person prevention education in towns and villages, and promoting dementia awareness projects."

This project by Uiseong County is noteworthy in that it established a "lifestyle safety net" with direct resident participation, rather than limiting dementia response to administrative and institutional levels. It serves as an example that dementia is no longer just an individual's problem but a shared challenge for the entire community.