Police in Japan received over 10,000 dementia-related missing person reports last year.

With the number of elderly rising rapidly, the figure was up 7.4 percent over 2012.

Japanese police say it’s difficult to match dementia patients with their missing person reports.

People found wandering the streets may not know their names or other identifying information.

Officials say they are working on a system that uses hair samples and personal belongings to improve the accuracy of reports.