Comprehensive cost of illness of dementia in Japan: A time trend analysis based on Japanese official statistics

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the chronological change in social burden of dementia in Japan for policy implications of appropriate resource allocation and quality improvement. Design: National, population-based, observational study from 2002 to 2014. Setting: Seven nationwide data sets from Japanese official statistics. Method: Comprehensive Cost of Illness method. Main outcome measures: The outcome variables included healthcare services, nursing care services, informal care (unpaid care offered by family and relatives), mortality cost and morbidity cost. Results: The number of patients with dementia increased 2.50 times from 0.42 million in 2002 to 1.05 million in 2014. While the number of patients living in homes and communities increased by 3.22 times that of patients living in nursing care facilities increased by 1.42 times. The total social burden increased 2.06–2.27 times from JPY 1.84–2.42 to 3.79–5.51 trillion (JPY 1 trillion = US$ 100 billion). Regarding the total burden, the proportion of informal care provided increased from 36.6–51.9% to 37.7–57.2%. Furthermore, the proportion of primary caretakers aged ≥70 years increased from 27.6% to 37.6%. Conclusions: Owing to the promotion of ‘Deinstitutionalization’ (shift of nursing care site from in-facilities to in-home and in-community), ‘Elderly care by the elderly,’ and ‘Earlier diagnosis of dementia,’ the average cost per patient reduced by 0.82–0.91 times from JPY 4.37–5.77 to 3.60–5.24 million. Therefore, the management of informal care in a manner that does not exceed the acceptable limit of the patients’ caretakers, while maintaining patient safety and quality of care, is imperative.