Policy of national responsibility and dementia care

Choi, Hojin; Kim, Seung Hyun

doi:2018.61.5.309

J Korean Med Assoc > Volume 61(5); 2018 > Article

Focused Issue of This Month

Journal of the Korean Medical Association 2018;61(5):309-313.
Published online May 24, 2018.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5124/jkma.2018.61.5.309

Policy of national responsibility and dementia care

Hojin Choi, Seung Hyun Kim

¹Department of Neurology, Hanyang University Guri Hospital, Guri, Korea.
²Department of Neurology, Hanyang University Hospital, Seoul, Korea. kimsh1@hanyang.ac.kr

Abstract

Korea is becoming an aged society at an alarmingly fast rate, which suggests that dementia care may become a major public health problem in Korea. At this point in time, the new policy of national responsibility for dementia care is a well-timed strategy, but it should be assessed based on a careful consideration of several aspects. We must promote a model of dementia care in which all members of society jointly participate. We need to improve the volunteer system in dementia care, and to make various cultural spaces for patients suffering from dementia and their family members. We need to balance financial resources and benefits in cost-reduction plans for dementia treatment. We should implement a careful quality control system for dementia care and educational programs for public dementia care hospitals and nationwide regional dementia centers. These care systems should also incorporate a health policy aiming at primary prevention to reduce the prevalence of dementia in the future. Improving the new policy of national responsibility for dementia care using detailed analyses and systematic approaches will lead to a successful dementia welfare policy.

Key Words: Dementia, Care, Policy