英字新聞

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Sharing information on missing elderly people with dementia crucial
認知症行方不明　関係機関の情報共有が重要だ

There is no end to cases of elderly people with dementia going missing. It is crucial that the system used to help identify missing dementia patients functions effectively so they can be reunited with their families quickly.
　認知症が原因で行方不明になる高齢者が後を絶たない。早期に家族の元に戻れるよう、身元特定の仕組みを有効に機能させることが重要だ。

In 2012, police received 9,607 missing-person reports for patients with dementia, and the number rose to 10,322 in 2013. Of them, 258 people were unaccounted for as of the end of April.
　警察に行方不明者として届け出があった認知症の人は、２０１２年に９６０７人、１３年には１万３２２人に上った。これらのうち２５８人が、今年４月末時点で所在不明となっている。

In many cases, elderly people with dementia who went missing were taken into protective custody later by the municipalities and moved into nursing care facilities, ultimately remaining there as they could not be identified.
　無事に保護されながら、身元が分からずに、施設に預かられたままとなるケースが少なくない。

A woman with dementia who had been put into a nursing care facility in Tatebayashi, Gunma Prefecture, was reunited in mid-May with her husband after seven years. Their reunion was made possible thanks to a TV news program featuring her.
　群馬県館林市の介護老人福祉施設に入所していた認知症の女性は５月中旬、７年ぶりに夫と再会した。テレビ番組で取り上げられたのがきっかけだった。

An elderly man with dementia who was living at a home for the elderly in Sayama, Saitama Prefecture, was identified on June 5 by relatives who had seen news reports featuring him late last month and made contact with him. Eighteen years had passed since he went missing and was placed under protective custody.
　埼玉県狭山市の老人ホームで生活していた男性は、報道に接した親族からの連絡で、今月５日に身元が判明した。保護されてから１８年も経過していた。

In both cases, the local municipalities and the police exchanged very little information, and no careful checks were made of the National Police Agency’s database after these elderly people were moved into nursing care facilities.
　いずれも、施設に引き取られた後、自治体と警察の情報交換がほとんど行われず、警察庁のデータベースを活用した身元照会も徹底されなかった。

If such people cannot be identified within 24 hours after they are placed under protective custody, the police, in accordance with the Law concerning the Execution of Police Duties, will put them in the care of the municipalities.
　警察は、保護から２４時間以内に身元を確認できなければ、警察官職務執行法に基づいて、自治体に対応を引き継ぐ。

No regulations in place

The problem is there are no regulations concerning the sharing of information between these entities after such people are put in the care of local municipalities. It is inevitable for such inappropriate responses to be criticized as ill effects of bureaucratic sectionalism.
問題は、その後の情報共有などについて、何ら規定がないことだろう。縦割りの弊害と批判されても仕方がない。

The NPA has notified the Metropolitan Police Department and other prefectural police headquarters that they should cooperate with local municipal governments even after they have such elderly people placed in the care of the municipalities.
　警察庁は、対応を自治体に引き継いだ後も、連携を図るよう都道府県警に通知した。

Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Norihisa Tamura said at a press conference on Friday, “We have to build a system to match up those who have gone missing and those who are looking for them,” hinting that the ministry will launch discussions with the NPA and other entities. Such efforts must be expedited to make such ideas a reality.
　田村厚生労働相は６日の記者会見で、「行方不明になっている人と、捜している人をマッチングできる仕組みを作らなければならない」と述べ、警察庁などと検討を始める考えを示した。具体化を急ぐ必要がある。

Also needed is a system that considers the characteristics of those with dementia who are unable to identify themselves.
　本人が名乗れない、という認知症の特性に配慮した照会システムも求められる。

With regards to the police’s missing person database, information searches can be made only by name. The NPA has said it will also utilize its database used for criminal investigations, in which searches can be made using various kinds of information, including physical characteristics and personal belongings.
　警察の行方不明者照会のデータベースは、氏名に頼った検索しかできない。警察庁は、身体的特徴や所持品など、多くの項目から検索できる犯罪捜査用のデータベースも用いる方針を示した。

The NPA will also have such information compiled by local municipalities, including photographs, on those placed under their care distributed among prefectural police headquarters and local police stations, so families searching for their missing relatives can examine them at nearby police stations and other places.
　保護した人の写真を添付した自治体作成の資料を警察本部や警察署に配布し、行方不明の人を捜している家族が最寄りの署などで閲覧できるようにもする。

We hope these efforts can help identify missing dementia patients quickly.
　こうした取り組みを早期の身元特定につなげたい。

More and more local municipalities have registered elderly people who are likely to wander away, and have asked local residents via e-mail to cooperate in finding them in case they go missing. Cooperation among local residents, municipalities and police is also essential.
　徘徊はいかいの恐れのある高齢者を事前に登録し、万一の時、市民にメールで捜索協力を呼びかける自治体が増えている。地域住民と自治体、警察の連携も欠かせない。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, June 10, 2014)