Dongtan Health Center in Hwaseong City Recruiting for "Dementia Elders Health Academy"

The Dongtan Health Center in Hwaseong City announced on the 6th that it is recruiting participants for the "Dementia Elders Health Academy," a program aimed at early diagnosis and treatment of dementia as its prevalence has recently increased.

According to the 2012 National Dementia Epidemiological Survey, the dementia prevalence rate among South Koreans aged 65 and older is 9.18%, with a total of 540,755 dementia patients comprising 155,955 men and 384,800 women, and the number of patients continues to rise rapidly.

In response, the Dongtan Health Center operates a dementia screening test for prevention and early detection, outreach dementia screening tests at senior centers, and the "Dementia Elders Health Academy" program, a customized service for dementia patients and caregivers.

The "Dementia Elders Health Academy" is a program targeting residents aged 65 and older in the Dongtan area diagnosed with dementia, providing horticultural therapy, art therapy, exercise therapy, cognitive and occupational therapy, and transportation services once a week starting in March for cognitive rehabilitation of dementia.

Priority registration will be given to dementia patients in the Dongtan area who are deemed ineligible for long-term care insurance benefits for the elderly. Applicants must complete phone registration and submit required documents including medical certificates by the 28th, after which registration status will be determined.

Kim Yeon-hee, director of the Dongtan Health Center, stated, "With the rapid increase in dementia patients due to an aging society, patients and their caregivers are facing significant difficulties, making it a social problem—dementia is no longer someone else's problem," and added, "We plan to prevent and manage health and social issues by improving prejudice and misconceptions about dementia patients." For more information, contact the Dongtan Health Center's Health Management Team at 031-369-4356.