Seoul’s Geumcheon-gu is operating an urban agriculture-based healing program called ‘Geumcheon Memory Garden’ to enhance the cognitive health of senior citizens at high risk of dementia. The program is organized by the Geumcheon-gu Dementia Care Center and is held twice a month, totaling 12 sessions at the Anyangcheon Urban Agriculture Experience Center.
The Geumcheon Memory Garden is designed to allow participating seniors to directly cultivate gardens and grow crops, enabling interaction with nature. Through this, the district expects to prevent dementia in the elderly, enhance cognitive functions, and improve emotional stability. It is also expected to aid in expanding social interactions and alleviating depression.
The program includes practical farming exercises such as seed sowing, seedling planting, watering, planting of fruit vegetables, erecting stakes, and thinning of crops. Additionally, participants learn about ecological theories like how to make egg oil (made from cooking oil and egg yolk) to prevent pests and diseases in gardens, topdressing methods for nutrition supply, and ways to use thinned crops.
Participants are gaining vitality through the program. One elderly participant shared their experience, saying, “Growing crops directly in the garden and even cooking with them makes the day enjoyable and invigorating.”
Yoo Seong-hoon, the head of Geumcheon-gu, stated, “Healing agriculture is not just a leisure activity but a proven non-drug therapy effective in improving cognitive functions and expanding social participation. Through programs like ‘Geumcheon Memory Garden,’ we will continue to implement policies and initiatives to protect the health of the elderly.”
The Geumcheon-gu Dementia Care Center also provides a variety of dementia-related services, including early dementia screening, preventive education, family support, and dementia treatment cost assistance, in addition to this program.