Seoul prepares for aging population

Residents rest at Seoul's first "dementia prevention garden" in Geumcheon-gu, southwestern Seoul. / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government

By Lee Suh-yoon

Seoul, the capital of one of the fastest-aging developed nations, is making plans to accommodate an increasing population of "graying" residents.

Last week, it opened the first dementia prevention garden in Geumcheon-gu, southwestern Seoul, where 13 percent of the population is considered to be at risk of dementia according to the local health center.

The garden is designed to stimulate the visitors' five senses, encourage exercise and provide a site for communal bonding to fend off increasing memory loss in the aging residents, the onset of Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia.

Herbs and flowers give off sweet scents in the spring and summer-themed parts of the looped garden, punctuated by tactile sections of foxtail and needlegrass. Date palms and persimmon trees offer cover and fruit in the autumn section. The outdoor path, encircling the new senior welfare center, is spotted with small exercise stations, nature-themed art galleries and resting areas for residents to socialize with each other.

The city said it chose Siheung-dong in Geumcheon-gu as the first site for this setting-based dementia treatment facility because the neighborhood lacked "diverse sources of cognitive stimulation" for elderly residents.

The garden will also set aside small plots of land for them to cultivate plants for therapeutic purposes to aid cognitive health.

"Sensory perception deteriorates with old age. The stimulation of the five senses in the garden will help the city's aging residents by providing cognitive stimulation," said Chey Jean-yung, a psychology professor at Seoul National University. "Plus, loneliness and stress are big factors of depression and dementia in old age. The garden can help reduce stress with the therapeutic effects of nature and provide a site for socializing with peers."

Im, an elderly resident of Seongbuk-gu, walks around her house with the help of new handrails set up by the district office's housing care team. / Courtesy of Seongbuk-gu

The city has implemented similar cognitive health designs in neighborhoods of the Yangcheon, Yeongdeungpo, Nowon and Songpa districts since 2014.

"With a rapidly aging population, the number of senior citizens with dementia is doubling every 20 years. It's becoming a social problem that one or one's family could very well be subject to," Seo Sung-man, the city's culture division head officer, said in a press statement. "By developing and implementing cognitive health designs into resident's lives, we will prepare for an aging society and prioritize effective dementia prevention in policy-making."

Local district offices in Seoul are also planning ahead for its aging population. Seongbuk-gu, northeastern Seoul, recently put together a special 16-people "housing care team" that installs simple fixes in homes to better accommodate elderly citizens with posture problems.

The team ― made up of young residents who are paid a monthly wage by the district office ― first analyzes the type of physical disability, type of housing and mobility methods in the house, then fixes up the house to better prevent slips and falls.

Im, an 83-year-old resident in Seongbuk-gu, has been stuck with a stooped posture since she hurt her spine, pelvis and legs in a traffic accident. She recently broke her ribs while trying to pull out an object placed above her using a chair. After the team's remodeling, Im said she was able to navigate her house without danger. An automatic light and safety bars were installed at the entrance staircase. Her kitchen sink, bathroom mirror and tower hanger were all fixed to a lower height that she could reach easily. Slippery floors were replaced, door sills removed and a railing installed along her usual route inside the house along the walls and bathroom.

Im uses a kitchen sink in her home, which has been adjusted downward to accommodate Im's decreasing height and posture. / Courtesy of Seongbuk-gu

"Normally repairs take place when the house is too old and shabby. In this project, however, repairs take place because the residents are too old to adjust themselves to the house," Professor Lee Yeun-sook at Yonsei University's Department of Interior Architecture said in a press conference held by Seongbuk-gu office last week.

Lee participated in the training of the housing care team. "Everyone wants to live autonomous lives in a familiar environment, mingling with neighbors rather than being confined in a nursing home."

According to the district office's survey, over 86 percent of elderly residents said they wanted to spend the rest of their lives in their own houses rather than nursing homes.

The project will also save taxpayer's money in the long run, Lee added, by lowering medical expenses needed to cover senior citizens' injuries. According to health insurance agency and health ministry data, a total of 1.3 trillion won ($1.1 billion) was spent last year to cover falls or tripping accidents by elderly people inside their homes.

The district office plans to expand its housing care project to aid at least 200 households with senior citizens, with the aim of developing its repair crew into an independent social enterprise.

"This project is meaningful in the sense that it solves senior citizens' housing welfare and youth unemployment at the same time," Lee Seung-ro, head of Seongbuk-gu office, said.