치매국가책임제 어떻게 추진하여야 하나

Abstract

Dementia is one of the biggest global public health challenges facing our generation today. By 2030, Korea is projected to have the highest life expectancy in the world. The government's new plans regarding national responsibility for dementia care are well-timed strategies for patients and family members suffering from dementia and should be welcomed. The newly designed national dementia strategy of Korea may set new standards for dementia welfare policies. However, these plans should be modified after careful consideration of following aspects: financial sustainability, issues related with long-term care systems for other critical diseases, and instantaneous nationwide implementation without a period of trial-and-error learning. More gradual and steady policy initiatives is preferred. Through consensus we should strategically develop the optimal quality control system for dementia care and education program for training physicians, dementia-care professionals, and workers to be deployed in both specialized 72 public dementia care hospitals and nationwide 252 regional dementia centers. In addition, these care plans should also include health policy aiming the primary prevention to reduce future dementia prevalence while creating dementia-friendly communities and emphasizing clinical and basic research for dementia. Modifying the current plans for the Korean national dementia strategy using stepwise, well-integrated, and systematic approaches will lead to successful dementia welfare policy.