Unpaid care to blame for adults with dementia being unfairly disadvantaged

An ‘artificial divide’ exists between health and social care which leaves carers and families footing the bill for the growth of dementia, according to an alliance of mental health experts.

The Alzheimer’s Society has teamed up with the London School of Economics and Kings College London and produced a report ‘Dementia 2013: An Opportunity For Change’ that sums up the current challenges faced by families who have a loved one with dementia.

The report estimates that the cost of dementia to the UK has now reached £26 billion, with unpaid carers and those diagnosed with conditions like Alzheimer’s paying a £5.8 billion social care bill consisting of everyday tasks like washing and dressing.

Additionally, current NHS costs are at £4.3 billion, with local authorities picking up a further £4.5 billion, while research estimates that the 1.3 billion hours of unpaid care provided would cost the state a further £11.6 billion.

Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of Alzheimer's Society, comments: “This new research exposes the staggering financial and human impact of dementia. It is plain to see that our social care system is on its knees, leaving an army of tens of thousands of unpaid carers bearing the brunt. If you have cancer or heart disease you can quite rightly expect that the care you need will be free. That is just not the case for people with dementia. Families are forced to break the bank to pay for basic care for a loved one.

“These spiralling costs cannot continue unchecked. 225,000 people develop dementia in the UK every year – that is one every three minutes. While government has woken up to the challenge dementia presents, today’s report reveals we need radical solutions and serious funding commitments to put social care on a sustainable footing.”

A survey of over 1,000 people also found that only 58 per cent of people with dementia can be said to be ‘living well’, 61 per cent report high levels of anxiety and depression, seven out of ten are also living with another medical condition or disability, and 43 per cent rely on one sole carer.

In response, the Society calls upon the Government to announce a new vision – considering the Prime Minister’s Dementia Challenge ends in six months – which they feel should include a commitment to improving diagnosis rates from 66 per cent to 75 per cent, as well as a shortening of GP diagnosis to no more than 12 months, and a guarantee that all individuals should have access to a Dementia Advisor.

Pearl McCreadie, who is a 58 year old carer from Widnes, Cheshire, offered her own insight on caring for her husband John, 78, who has a mixture of vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

She says: “I gave up work when John was diagnosed with dementia – caring for him is now my full time job. It’s a lot of responsibility and it’s difficult to manage him on my own. Mostly I don’t get a minute to myself until 10 o’clock at night because I’ve been on my feet all day, helping John to wash, shave, clean his teeth, ensuring he’s taken the right medication, and making sure he’s happily occupied. Often I have to get up in the night when he wakes too. He’s my husband so of course I don't begrudge it – I love him and only want the best for him, but there needs to be more support for carers. I've spent all my savings on adjusting the house and I don't have any money left at the end of the week for extras.”