The social care problem has left tens of thousands of families bankrupt and selling their homes just to foot essential bills.
An investigation by Alzheimer’s Society has laid bare the scale of the worrying situation revealing it would take the average person 125 years to save enough money – £800 a year – to cover typical costs.
Experts warned that even if people saved as they did for their pension the financial burden would make it impossible for millions to adequately prepare.
Rob Burley, the charity’s director of policy, said: “We have heard of deeply troubling cases where people affected by dementia have had to empty their bank accounts and sell their home to foot a tremendous bill for social care. This is simply not fair.
People affected by dementia have had to empty their bank accounts and sell their home to foot a tremendous bill for social care
“Other diseases are supported by the NHS yet people with dementia fall into a void and feel abandoned by the state.
“Successive governments have shirked this issue. On behalf of people with dementia I challenge the next Government to create a long term, sustainable system for funding dementia care.”
Dementia cannot be cured or effectively treated so sufferers are increasingly forking out for costly social care rather than accessing free NHS treatment, which covers diseases like cancer.
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Families have to pay as much as £100,000 to cover spiralling costs of care
People struck down with the harrowing condition typically live for five years.
Alzheimer’s Society estimates three years of care at home costs around £39,000 before sufferers require two years in a care home at a further £62,000.
The shocking findings come from the largest ever consultation with people affected by harrowing diseases like Alzheimer’s in a report called Turning Up the Volume: Unheard Voices of People with Dementia.
A poll of more than 2,300 adults revealed nearly half of UK adults aged between 16-75 had not started saving for the care and support they might need when they are struck down while a third had not even contemplated the “unachievable” costs involved.
Asked if the Government should pay for care and support if they developed dementia more than half agreed while just five per cent said no.
The sobering report sheds light on what it is like to live with dementia bringing together the views of more than 3,850 people with the condition and laying bare the “unacceptable” quality of care some receive.
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It would take the average person 125 years to save enough money to cover typical costs
One relative said: “The care at home wasn’t working right.
“They [carer] couldn’t always feed them in the time they had so very often they [parents] hadn’t either eaten or drunk.
“They [carers] didn’t always have time to change the bedding.
“They would either forget to do the medication or miss the medication.
“One time there was a note left to say, ‘Derek, this is your meds’ and he’d never in a month of Sundays remember.”
Dementia sufferers are the biggest recipients of social care.
The impact of symptoms can make it impossible to carry out every day tasks like washing, eating or using the toilet.
There are now 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK.
That figure is expected to hit two million by 2050.
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Alzheimer’s Society estimates three years of care at home costs around £39,000
Research revealed by the Daily Express last month showed almost half of us now fear it more than any other condition.
But a survey for Alzheimer’s society showed only a fifth of us knew it results in death. One in three still believes there is a cure.
Dementia doubles in prevalence every five years above the age of 65 but if onset could be delayed by five years it would be halved.
Drugs are available to mask the symptoms but none is able to tackle the cause.
Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “Dementia is a disease, as cancer is a disease, as heart disease is a disease.
“Getting dementia shouldn’t mean families are left bankrupt or destitute with nothing to leave behind.
“The social care crisis is a dementia crisis. Many people with dementia and their families are buckling under the inordinate pressure of propping up a failing social care system that has been starved of funding for decades.
“Too many people are forced to give up everything they own in order to care day in and day out for their mother, father, husband or wife.
“Currently, many people with dementia feel deserted by the state, and must rely on family members and carers for the support they need.”
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There are now 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK
There are more than 520,000 people in the UK with Alzheimer’s disease. Here are 10 early signs and symptoms including memory loss and problem-solving to look out for.
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Changes in mood and personality – If you notice a loved one become easily upset, confused, depressed or anxious they could be suffering from Alzheimer’s so talk to them and book an appointment with the doctor
The report revealed there is still a stigma around the condition and a sense of hopelessness surrounding a diagnosis.
Dr Ian Campbell, a family GP from Nottingham, said: “Dementia is a plague on our society and how we help those suffering could be a future measure of how civilised as a nation we really are.
“Dementia causes untold distress to the sufferer and to those who care for them.
“As yet we have no really effective treatments and prevention is a long way down the line.
“We need cast-iron plans for how we will care for those who are affected.
“To fail would be to condemn millions of people to an undignified and deeply unpleasant last few years of life.”
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