How Korea's wild weather worsens the struggle for dementia patients

Social Affairs

Published: 26 Jul. 2024, 16:58

How Korea's wild weather worsens the struggle for dementia patients

Cheonggyecheon trail in Jongno District, central Seoul, is flooded as heavy downpour drenched Seoul on July 17. [YONHAP]

At around 6:57 p.m. on July 2, a severe rainfall drenched the streets of Jongno District, central Seoul. Amid the heavy downpour stood an older man, thoroughly soaked to the bone.

“A man who seems lost has been standing out in the rain for two to three hours without an umbrella,” reported a concerned passerby to police.

When officers arrived at the scene — where a heavy rain alert was in effect — they found the 81-year-old man unable to move or speak, with his body and mouth stiff from long exposure to the rain.

He was holding a bag of medication prescribed from a nearby hospital and a black bag containing a paper with names and phone numbers of presumed acquaintances.

“His hands were gripping the bags so tightly that they had turned white from lack of circulation,” said Lee Jae-yeol, the police officer dispatched to the scene.

After seeing a doctor at a nearby general hospital, the man likely lost his way while trying to return home and had been soaking in the rain for more than 10 hours.

According to police, the older man lived alone in Eunpyeong District, about four kilometers (2.4 miles) away from the hospital he visited that day.

During the summer months — when heavy rains and heat waves alternately hit the nation — reports of people with dementia going missing are especially high.

Between 2021 and 2023, there were 14,000 missing person reports involving dementia patients, with 30 percent occurring between June and August, according to the National Police Agency.

This rate is significantly higher — on average, 67 percent more — compared to reports received in the winter months of December to February. It also exceeds the number of cases reported during the spring and fall seasons by 200 to 300, despite increased physical activity during those times.

Police rescue a 90-year-old woman with dementia who was wandering around her neighborhood in Seongbuk District, central Seoul, on July 17. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Another patient with dementia was found wandering in Seongbuk District, central Seoul, by police on July 17, another day of heavy rain. The 90-year-old woman became lost while taking a stroll around the neighborhood alone.

On June 20, when the daytime high soared to 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit), police discovered an older man with dementia on an express train to Iksan just a minute before its departure. The man said he boarded the train to visit his hometown. He was then safely returned to his family.

"Especially in monsoon season, we receive three to four reports from morning to night asking us to help find older people with dementia,” said a police officer, highlighting the challenges of locating these individuals in the rain, which makes them harder to see and difficult to move.

The increase in missing dementia patients during the summer can be attributed to extreme heat, low atmospheric pressure and high humidity, which exacerbate the brain conditions of dementia patients.

Sudden environmental changes such as heavy downpour also impair patients' ability to recognize time, place and surroundings, according to experts.

“Diminished sunlight during the monsoon season can heighten depression and anxiety among dementia patients, which leads to increased abnormal behavior including wandering and delusions,” said psychiatrist Jeong Chan-seung.

He added that reduced outdoor activity and social interaction also contribute to a decline in cognitive functions.

While GPS wearable sensors that alert caregivers when patients wander could aid in locating missing individuals, many do not use them.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare reported that only 3.4 percent of 140,000 older adults with dementia rated as needing long-term care as of the end of 2022 owned such devices.

With a total of 960,000 dementia patients, both registered and unregistered, the ownership rate trims to just 0.48 percent.

“Older people with dementia avoid even the widely available necklace and wristwatch-type tracking due to discomfort,” said Lee Hoon, a professor of the police administration department at Chosun University.

"It would be better to invent a micro miniature model or with a longer-lasting battery, though there will be budget constraints,” Lee said.

BY KIM SEO-WON, WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]