Almost 40 percent of elderly dementia patients in Seoul are being supported and taken care of by their spouses, according to the municipal government.

Of the 360 dementia patients who were surveyed last year from June to August, 39 percent were being looked after by their wives or husbands, while 23.6 were cared for by their daughters.

Almost 15 percent were supported by their sons, while 12.9 percent were assisted by their daughters-in-law. Among all caretakers, 55 percent said they are supporting the patients alone.

On average, the caretakers spent 9 hours a day to look after the patients. Fifty-two percent of them said they feel burdened by the financial costs incurred.

The average age of the surveyed patients was 80.8. Among them, 60.8 percent had Alzheimer’s disease, and 66.1 percent were female.

To support the patients and their families, the Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to establish three more nursing homes across the city and increase the number of support centers from 248 to 268.

Dementia is considered one of the biggest threats to South Korea’s future economy. The Health Ministry expects the number of dementia patients to exceed the number of people aged 65 or older by the year 2024.

The authorities also predict that it will cost some 43.6 trillion won ($43.1 billion) to treat the patients by 2030.

The SMG predicts that there are currently about 111,677 dementia patients living in Seoul. Among them, 42,667 are currently registered with the city’s support system.

By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)