A girl wears mismatched footwear throughout a simulation train held to assist dementia sufferers within the district of Seocho in Seoul, Sept. 26, 2024. The variety of Korean sufferers affected by dementia is projected to exceed 1 million subsequent yr with the determine anticipated to double in simply 20 years because the inhabitants quickly ages, the federal government mentioned Wednesday. Newsis
The variety of Koreans affected by dementia is predicted to surpass 1 million subsequent yr and double in 20 years, because of the nation’s quickly getting old inhabitants, the federal government mentioned Wednesday.
In response to the outcomes of the primary nationwide examine in seven years performed on the topic, 9.25 p.c of the 9.46 million folks aged 65 or increased in Korea have been identified with dementia — an sickness related to the decline of mind capabilities. Older adults make up 18.5 p.c of the nation’s whole inhabitants.
After contemplating the prevalence price amongst older adults and development of their proportion of the overall inhabitants, researchers on the Ministry of Well being and Welfare mentioned greater than 970,000 persons are at present affected by the situation and the determine is predicted to surpass 2 million in 2044.
On a optimistic notice, the prevalence price of dementia sufferers within the age group dropped from the 9.5 p.c present in a 2016 examine. The researchers attributed this to a discount in danger elements reminiscent of smoking and ingesting. For instance, the prevalence price of binge ingesting decreased from 10.6 p.c in 2017 to 7.8 p.c in 2023.
Nonetheless, getting old is the most important danger issue for dementia. The report confirmed that the speed of these identified with gentle cognitive impairment, a situation that may be an indication of what’s going to ultimately trigger dementia, elevated to twenty-eight.42 p.c from 22.25 p.c through the interval. At present, about 2.98 million are estimated to have this situation and the determine is projected to succeed in 4 million in 2033.
The growing variety of dementia sufferers means rising monetary stress on households and the nation’s well being care system.
In a survey performed by well being officers, 45.8 p.c of the respondents mentioned they felt “burdened,” financially or mentally, to maintain their members of the family affected by dementia, whereas 27.1 p.c mentioned they weren’t.
When requested whether or not taking good care of such members of the family negatively affected their lives, 40 p.c mentioned it did. Those that stay individually from such sufferers have been discovered to, on common, spend 18 hours per week offering obligatory take care of them.
The examine additionally discovered that members of the family spend about 17.34 million gained ($12,000) yearly on affected person care on common, with 67 p.c of the price going to hiring caregivers. The extra extreme the situation is, the upper the care prices are inclined to grow to be, the report mentioned.
With no remedy obtainable for dementia, officers mentioned it was essential to detect the situation as early as attainable as it might permit well timed interventions, higher signs remedy and improved high quality of life for sufferers and their households.
In step with these efforts, the ministry mentioned it might strengthen the position of public well being facilities in detecting dementia early, particularly for high-risk folks reminiscent of those that stay alone.
It’s at present drafting a complete plan to enhance the system over the subsequent 5 years, with coverage concepts reminiscent of expanded help for households scuffling with care bills underneath evaluation now.
“Because the variety of dementia sufferers is predicted to proceed to extend because of the graying inhabitants, we’ll develop numerous insurance policies to assist folks keep wholesome and to minimize the burden of the households of such sufferers,” mentioned Kim Eul-ki, director basic on the ministry’s senior coverage division.
