Somang Society and Dementia Care
Somang Society is a non-profit corporation founded in California, USA in June 2007. The mission of Somang Society is “Well Being, Well Aging and Well Dying”. Somang Society values dignity, integrity, and synergy. They have partnered with the University of California Irvine, Alzheimer’s Orange County, Central Carolina Community College, Alzheimer’s Los Angeles, and Chiron Total.
Well Being is embodied by encouraging Asian American seniors to develop a culture of donation and be an important part of saving and inspiring lives by building clean water wells and schools for communities in need. Well Aging provides training opportunities for Asian American seniors to volunteer to help other Asian American seniors live a better quality of life by maintaining their dignity, levels of understanding, and mutual respect. Well Dying educates Korean American seniors to improve their knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors about aging, dementia prevention/care, and advanced care planning. This education is done through conferences, seminars/webinars, and forums in Korean and/or in English to Korean translation.
Under Somang Society’s mission and vision of Well Being, you can sponsor the building of wells in Chad, Africa, and the Somang Preschool Project in African communities. You can also sponsor a student attending the Somang schools where the student receives clean uniforms, education by a qualified teacher, suitable books for learning, school supplies, and provided with meals, and safe drinking water.
The Somang Care Class is a one-on-one care for Korean American seniors who are experiencing early-stage dementia or memory loss to improve their emotional stability and gain confidence. It is the only care program that offers all services in Korean by experienced volunteers and bilingual staff. These service providers have extensive knowledge of American healthcare services and dementia care resources as well as Korean culture and ethical beliefs. The Somang Care Class has its Anaheim and Los Angeles locations.
Somang Society is involved in community education and outreach, particularly in the UCI Willed Body Program and research collaboration and program grants to facilitate diversity and the inclusion of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in medical research. The organization is in active research with Koreans Invested in Making Caregivers Health Important (KIMCHI), UCI AHEAD Study, and Collaborative Approach For Asian American & Pacific Islanders Research & Education (CARE). The organization has also worked in past research with the Alzheimer’s Association, Stanford Medicine SPHERE, National Asian Pacific Center on Aging, Alzheimer’s Orange County, and Archstone Foundation.
Learn more about Somang Society here.
