660 Seniors, Patients Go Missing Every Month 

By Cho Ji-hyun, The Korea Herald

October 22, 2008

South Korea

An average of 660 seniors and dementia patients disappear every month, a Grand National Party lawmaker said yesterday. 

Citing data from the National Police Agency, Rep. Lim Doo-sung said a total of 29,024 seniors and dementia patients had gone missing between 2005 and August this year. 

Of them, 15,649 people were elderly and 13,375 had Alzheimer`s disease. 

The figure for disappearing seniors, which reached 2,890 in 2006, rose to 3,545 last year. It was 3,052 as of August, he said. 

The number of disappearing dementia patients also increased from 2,886 in 2005 to 3,534 in 2006 and 4,118 in 2007. 

"Although thousands of seniors are vanishing every year, the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs, which is in charge of the matter, is unable to develop effective countermeasures," he said, adding that the ministry had even failed to retrieve the police statistics. 

The ministry currently operates a consultation and support center for lost seniors but the center`s figure for missing seniors remained at 480 people from 2004 to 2008. This is a mere 2 percent of the total number gathered by the police, Lim said. 

"Currently, not only are there two employees responsible for collecting information about missing seniors at the center, but a yearly average of 20 million won ($1,600) is funded for its operations," he said. "Now, the time has come for the government to step up in the effort to actively take part in issues like the disappearance of seniors and dementia patients, who could be called the underprivileged people."  

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