The cost of social care for people with dementia in the UK will nearly treble over the next two decades, finds a new report, commissioned by Alzheimer’s Society from the London School of Economics and Political Science. It will rise from today‘s cost of GBP 15.7 billion (EUR 18.34 billion) to GBP 45.4 billion (EUR 15.03 billion) in 2040. The report predicts that, as the population ages, a higher proportion of people with dementia will have higher care needs and will require social care for longer, driving up the average amount spent on care.
The report also shows the cost of care that falls on people with dementia and their families. People affected by dementia pay GBP 9 billion (EUR 10.51 billion) a year in social care costs – 57% of the total social care cost, with the rest covered by the state. Many people are forced to sell their homes to pay for care. Families are also providing GBP 13.9 billion (EUR 16.23 billion) a year in unpaid care for people with dementia.
The report found the total cost of dementia to the UK economy, including costs of health care, social care and unpaid care, is GBP 34.7 billion (EUR 40.53 billion), which will rise to GBP 94.1billion (EUR 109.9 billion) by 2040, when the number of people with dementia in the UK will have increased from around 850,000 to 1.6 million.
With families already struggling to cope, these report findings highlight the urgent need for action. As the UK heads towards a Christmas general election, Alzheimer’s Society is calling for all political parties to commit to radically reform dementia care, for the cost of social care to be shared across society, funded like other public services in the UK, such as the NHS and education.
The report: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-us/policy-and-influencing/dementia-scale-impact-numbers
More information on Alzheimer’s Society‘s Fix Dementia Care campaign: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/get-involved/our-campaigns/fix-dementia-care
