Dementia patients reported missing in Japan in 2019 hit record 17,500

A total of 17,479 people with dementia or suspected dementia were reported missing in Japan in 2019, the most since data began being collected in 2012, police said Thursday.The National Police Agency data showed the figure was up 552 from 2018 and about 80 percent higher than in 2012, demonstrating the issue of dementia is becoming increasingly serious as Japan's population ages rapidly.Of those reported missing, 245 were not found by the end of the year while 16,775, including people reported missing in 2018 or earlier, were located, according to the police data.It showed 71.7 percent of d…READ FULL ARTICLE