Songpa-gu is the only district in Seoul offering a free blood test that can predict a person's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease 10 to 15 years in the future — using just a small blood draw.
Seoul's Songpa-gu, led by District Mayor Seo Gang-seok, said it will provide free Alzheimer's disease risk blood tests that use a simple blood sample to assess the likelihood of developing dementia.
The test measures the degree of beta-amyloid aggregation — a key substance linked to dementia — from a small blood sample, and uses the resulting levels to evaluate a person's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease over the next 10 to 15 years.
This year, the district is targeting residents born in 1962 — those about to turn 65, the age at which dementia prevalence rises sharply. The district will enroll the first 200 applicants, screen for high-risk individuals, and connect them with preemptive dementia prevention and management programs.
Results are classified into three tiers: low, Alert and high. The test assesses Alzheimer's risk rather than providing a definitive dementia diagnosis, meaning a "high" result does not constitute an immediate diagnosis of dementia.
Residents identified as high-risk will be connected to cognitive health programs designed to help them more actively adopt dementia-prevention habits in their daily lives — including exercise, dietary improvements and cognitive activities.
The process begins with a one-on-one cognitive screening interview (CIST), followed by the Alzheimer's risk blood test. Results are mailed within approximately four weeks, or residents may collect them in person at the Songpa-gu Public Health Center if preferred.
Residents can register by calling the Songpa-gu Dementia Care Center to make a phone reservation.
In addition, the Dementia Care Center at Songpa-gu Public Health Center runs a range of other programs beyond this project: dementia counseling and case management, free hygiene supplies for dementia caregivers, an outreach screening service, and dementia prevention programs.
"In this era of aging, I hope the Alzheimer's disease risk blood test — introduced by Songpa-gu as the first of its kind in Seoul — will help our senior residents prevent and manage dementia," District Mayor Seo said. "We will continue to roll out a wide range of health promotion initiatives for a healthy old age, and build Songpa into a city of healthy longevity."
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
