The Present Situation and Problems of a Dotard Family in Korea

Abstract

Burden of dementia patients supportersThe number of dotards over 65 years old based on 2014 in Korea was 610,000 persons, that is, 1 person out of 10 persons. The problem is the family who looks after dementia patients. According to the statistics of health insurance medical expenses in 2013 of Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service, the medical expenses of dementia patients were 646,200,000,000 won, which was highest. The National Medical Dementia Center of Korea figures out those medical expenses born by family per 1 dementia patient are 18,920,000 won. The 62% of dementia patient's supporters have a mild depressive disorder, and 20% are receiving psychotherapy. The trouble of the family where a dementia patient exists often leads to a tragedy. As an example, in Dec, 2012, the incident that the grandmother in her seventies attempted to kill her husband who was sleeping at the room by hammering his head several times happened [1]. The grandmother who devotedly had cared for her husband for 5 years confessed, "It was too difficult to live with her dementia husband.