Seoul district trains subway workers to protect seniors with dementia

Songpa District in southeastern Seoul has launched the Songpa Metro-Care program to help protect elderly commuters with dementia inside subway stations. It is the first time a municipal district in the capital has integrated public transportation hubs into its official dementia care network. The program covers eight major transfer stations, including Jamsil, Garak Market and Songpa’s stretch of Seoul Subway Line 9. District officials said they plan to expand it across all remaining subway stops in Songpa.

Public health authorities estimate that Korea’s dementia population among people aged 65 and older will exceed 1 million for the first time this year.

The program includes direct emergency hotlines linking station masters, local police and the Songpa Dementia Care Center.

Station personnel completed 12 specialized training sessions and earned official certification as Dementia Partners.

Underground pharmacies, cafes and convenience stores are designated as temporary safe havens with emergency protocols.

Monthly outreach events at major interchanges such as Garak Market Station provide free cognitive screenings and prevention guides to senior commuters.

Published Sep 8, 2026 2:55 pm KST

Updated Sep 8, 2026 6:09 pm KST

Songpa District trains transit staff, shop owners to spot disoriented elderly passengers

A man in his 70s with dementia, who had been reported missing by his family, walks near an SRT boarding gate at Suseo Station in southern Seoul, Feb. 20. Screen capture from Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's official YouTube channel

Inside one station in Seoul’s sprawling underground transit system, station workers and retail clerks are being trained to spot and assist disoriented elderly passengers, part of a new municipal initiative to address Korea's rapidly expanding dementia population.

Songpa District in southeastern Seoul has transformed its busiest subway hubs into a localized safety net for elderly commuters with dementia. The district launched the Songpa Metro-Care program, marking the first time a municipal district in the capital has integrated public transportation hubs into its official dementia care network.

The initiative addresses a growing urban safety challenge.

As Korea accelerates into a super-aged society, public health authorities estimate that the national dementia population among those 65 and older will exceed 1 million for the first time this year. With wandering episodes posing life-threatening risks in high-density urban corridors, officials are recognizing that medical centers alone are no longer enough.

"To ensure that dementia patients and their families can live with peace of mind, our protective systems must extend beyond specialized care centers into the everyday spaces people navigate every single day," Seo said.

The need for vigilance in public transit systems became starkly evident last March, when a man with dementia slipped away from his wife inside a subway station in central Seoul. After a frantic search involving transit police and station staff scouring closed-circuit camera feeds and train manifests, he was located unharmed hours later onboard a northbound line.

To prevent similar incidents from spiraling into tragedy, Songpa District partnered with Seoul Metro to establish the Metro-Care framework across eight major transfer stations, including Jamsil, Garak Market and Songpa’s stretch of Seoul Subway Line 9.

The strategy operates through four integrated pillars.

First, direct emergency hotlines now connect station masters, local police and the Songpa Dementia Care Center to streamline intake and expedite family reunions. To back up this network, station personnel completed 12 specialized training sessions covering nonconfrontational communication, behavioral cues and protocols for safely assisting lost seniors, earning official certification as Dementia Partners.

The safety net also extends beyond station offices by designating underground pharmacies, cafes and convenience stores as temporary safe havens equipped with emergency protocols. Finally, the district is driving public awareness through monthly screening events and targeted transit advisories that encourage commuters to report disoriented seniors.

Seoul’s move reflects a growing global trend among transit systems in big cities to adapt to demographic shifts.

In Singapore, the Land Transport Authority has designated all MRT subway stations as official Go-To Points, where frontline staff are trained to shelter disoriented commuters and reunite them with families. Similar transit-focused interventions are underway across Japan and the United Kingdom, where railway workers complete "dementia supporter" courses to identify nonverbal cues and safely manage wandering passengers in dense transit networks.

At major interchanges in Songpa District like Garak Market Station, the district now hosts monthly outreach events providing free cognitive screenings and prevention guides to senior commuters. District officials said they plan to expand the program across all remaining subway stops in Songpa, positioning local transit infrastructure as a core pillar of urban public health.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.

首尔东南部的松坡区启动了“松坡地铁关爱计划”，旨在保护患有认知障碍的老年乘客在地铁站内的安全。这是首尔首个将公共交通枢纽纳入官方认知障碍关爱网络的区级行政区。该计划覆盖八个主要换乘站，包括蚕室站、加乐市场站以及首尔地铁9号线松坡段。区政府官员表示，他们计划将该计划推广至松坡区所有剩余的地铁站。

公共卫生部门估计，今年韩国65岁及以上人群中患有痴呆症的人数将首次超过100万。

该计划包括直接紧急热线，连接车站站长、当地警察和松坡痴呆症护理中心。

车站工作人员完成了 12 次专门培训课程，并获得了“痴呆症伙伴”的正式认证。

地下药店、咖啡馆和便利店被指定为临时安全避难所，并制定了应急预案。

每月在加拉克市场站等主要交通枢纽举办的外展活动，为老年通勤者提供免费的认知筛查和预防指南。

发布于2026年9月8日下午2:55（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年9月8日 下午6:09（韩国标准时间）

松坡区培训交通工作人员和店主，以便识别迷路的老年乘客。

2月20日，一名患有老年痴呆症、被家人报失踪的70多岁男子在首尔南部水西站附近的SRT（首尔国家轻轨）候车大厅附近行走。图片来自首尔地方警察厅官方YouTube频道。

在首尔庞大的地铁系统中，一个车站内的工作人员和零售店员正在接受培训，以便发现并帮助迷路的年长乘客。这是市政府为应对韩国迅速增长的痴呆症患者群体而推出的一项新举措。

首尔东南部的松坡区已将其最繁忙的地铁枢纽改造为患有失智症的老年通勤者的本地化安全网。该区启动了“松坡地铁关爱计划”，这是首尔首个将公共交通枢纽纳入其官方失智症护理网络的区级行政区。

该举措旨在应对日益严峻的城市安全挑战。

随着韩国加速迈入超老龄化社会，公共卫生部门预计，今年韩国65岁及以上人群的痴呆症患者人数将首次超过100万。在人口密集的城市走廊地带，走失行为可能​​危及生命，官员们意识到，仅靠医疗中心已远远不够。

Seo表示：“为了确保痴呆症患者及其家人能够安心生活，我们的保护体系必须从专门的护理中心扩展到人们每天都要经过的日常空间。”

去年三月，首尔市中心一处地铁站发生一起严重事件，一名患有痴呆症的男子在站内与妻子走散。事发后，交通警察和车站工作人员展开紧急搜寻，仔细查看了闭路电视监控录像和列车乘客名单，数小时后，这名男子在北行列车上被找到，安然无恙。

为了防止类似事件演变成悲剧，松坡区与首尔地铁合作，在包括蚕室、嘎乐市场和松坡段首尔地铁 9 号线在内的八个主要换乘站建立了地铁关怀框架。

该战略通过四大相互关联的支柱运作。

首先，紧急求助热线现已连接车站站长、当地警方和松坡失智症护理中心，以简化接警流程并加快家属团聚。为了支持这一网络，车站工作人员完成了12次专门培训，内容涵盖非对抗性沟通、行为提示以及安全协助走失老人的相关流程，并获得了“失智症伙伴”的官方认证。

安全保障措施不仅限于车站办公室，还将地下药店、咖啡馆和便利店指定为配备应急预案的临时安全场所。此外，该地区还通过每月举办筛查活动和发布有针对性的交通安全提示，提高公众意识，鼓励通勤者报告迷路的老年人。

首尔的举措反映了全球大城市交通系统为适应人口结构变化而日益增长的趋势。

在新加坡，陆路交通管理局已将所有地铁站指定为官方“紧急避难点”，一线工作人员接受培训，为迷路乘客提供庇护，并帮助他们与家人团聚。类似的以公共交通为重点的干预措施也在日本和英国实施，铁路工作人员接受“失智症支持人员”课程，以识别非语言信号，并在拥挤的交通网络中安全地管理走失乘客。

在松坡区的主要交通枢纽，例如加乐市场站，该区目前每月都会举办公益活动，为老年通勤者提供免费的认知筛查和预防指南。区政府官员表示，他们计划将该项目推广到松坡区所有剩余的地铁站，将当地的公共交通基础设施打造成为城市公共卫生的核心支柱。

本文由生成式人工智能协助发布，并由《韩国时报》编辑。