Chilgok Dementia Care Center Offers “Healing Time Through Scent”

Operation of the Dementia Care Workshop Healing Program

The Dementia Care Center at the Chilgok County Public Health Center in North Gyeongsang Province and the Yakmok Short-Term Rest Center operated the “休[Hyu], Dementia Care Workshop Healing Program” over two days on the 10th and 11th, for 30 participants including people diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, people with dementia, and their families and caregivers.

Dementia Care Workshop Healing Program / Provided by Chilgok County Office

This program was designed to promote emotional stability and stimulate cognitive function among participants, and proceeded in the following order: dementia partner and dementia prevention education; pedestrian safety education in collaboration with the Chilgok branch of the Korea Safe Drivers Association and the Chilgok Police Station; and an aroma-therapy-based emotional leisure activity program titled “Kneading Scented Soap Making.”

In particular, the workshop-style hands-on activity using aromatic scents, made possible through talent donations from local residents, helped activate cognition through olfactory stimulation and encouraged the use of fine motor skills and improved concentration, receiving a very positive response from participants.

One participant said, “The pedestrian safety education contained information that is essential for older adults like us, so it was a very beneficial time, and I usually do not have many opportunities to experience aromatherapy, so it was great to be able to try it through this program.”

An official from the public health center said, “Through this healing program, we hope that people with dementia, their families, and caregivers can temporarily escape the burden of daily caregiving, gain psychological stability, and find an opportunity to remain continuously connected with the local community,” adding, “We will continue to operate various dementia prevention and family support programs in connection with community resources in the future.”