Officials from the Dementia-Friendly Village Management Committee in Seohaegu, Incheon. [Seohaegu]
Officials from the Dementia-Friendly Village Management Committee in Seohaegu, Incheon. [Seohaegu]

Four neighborhoods in Incheon's Seohaegu district have been designated "excellent dementia-friendly villages" by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, in recognition of the environment they provide for dementia patients and their families.

The four neighborhoods — Yeonhui-dong, Gajwa 4-dong, Seoknam 2-dong and Gajeong 1-dong — are all currently operating as certified dementia-friendly villages.

Gajeong 1-dong earned the designation this year for the first time, strengthening the district's broader effort to build a dementia-safe community network.

Earning the ministry's "excellent" dementia-friendly village designation requires meeting strict criteria.

Villages must satisfy all seven core requirements: at least one year of operation, a management committee that convenes at least twice a year, education programs to improve residents' awareness of dementia, the operation of dementia-friendly partner businesses, public awareness campaigns on dementia prevention, community programs for residents, and the conduct of a dementia awareness survey.

The Seohaegu Dementia Care Center provides on-site early screening services and runs a mobile memory education class that visits designated villages directly, while carrying out wide-ranging campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of early detection and prevention.

A dementia-friendly village is a community designed to allow dementia patients and their caregivers to live safely and freely alongside their neighbors, grounded in an accurate understanding of the condition.


gilbert@heraldcorp.com