Over 19,000 Dementia Patients Reported Missing Last Year
Setting a New Record High
According to reports by Asahi Shimbun and Mainichi Shimbun on the 21st, the number of missing persons reports for dementia (cognitive impairment) patients in Japan last year reached approximately 19,000, setting a new record high.
According to the Japanese National Police Agency, the number of missing persons reports for dementia patients received over the past year was 19,039, the highest since data collection began in 2012. Among the missing dementia patients, 18,221 safely returned home, with 98.7% found within three days.
According to population estimates from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications as of the 15th, the population of people aged 65 and over in Japan reached a record high of 36.25 million, accounting for 29.3% of the total population. Based on United Nations estimates, Japan has the highest proportion of elderly people aged 65 and over among major countries, followed by Italy (24.6%) and Germany (23.2%). South Korea's figure is 19.3%.
The "Ishidatami Dementia Missing Persons Family Mutual Support Group," established in August last year, has created a response manual for cases of missing elderly dementia patients and also operates a counseling hotline. Kumiko Nagata, deputy director of the social welfare corporation "Dementia Care Research and Training Tokyo Center," which supported the establishment of this group, said, "There are quite a few dementia patients who are not found after going missing," adding, "We hope this will serve as a catalyst for a full-scale movement toward creating a society where dementia patients can safely go outside."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
