Gov't adopts new plan to deal with dementia patients
TOKYO — The Japanese government adopted a new plan to deal with the increasing number of dementia patients.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the number of people suffering from dementia is expected to rise and top 7 million by 2025. The ministry announced in a report earlier this month that it estimated Japan would have 7.3 million dementia sufferers in 2025—which means that one in five Japanese aged 65 or older will suffer from the disease that currently has no cure, TBS reported.
In 2015, the ministry forecasts there will be an expected 5.25 million sufferers.
The ministry says there will be a need for (at least) 60,000 doctors and primary caregivers to look after dementia patients.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the number of dementia and Alzheimer’s patients is growing around the world and said it is “problem we all face,” TBS reported.
The measures approved on Tuesday, called the New Orange Plan, call for early detection methods, development of new drugs, more in-patient facilities, regular visits to elderly people living alone and offering long-term consultation for sufferers and their families.
Japan Today
