£1.4bn annual dementia care cost 'unsustainable'

The Alzheimer's Society in Wales has called for a dementia strategy for Wales

Families cannot continue to shoulder the hidden costs of caring for a relative with dementia, a report says.

It costs £1.4bn every year to care for the 45,000 people in Wales living with dementia, or £31,000 per person, Alzheimer's Society research has found.

Two thirds of the cost is currently met through private or unpaid care.

The Welsh government said it had recently announced almost £6m in extra funding to help Wales become a "truly dementia friendly country".

Sue Phelps, Director of Alzheimer's Society in Wales, said costs would continue rising and called for a national dementia strategy for Wales.

The £1.4bn cost comes from £731m for health and social care, unpaid care equating to £622m, and £6m for other costs including policing for things like missing person inquiries.

"It is not fair or sustainable that carers continue to foot this bill," said Ms Phelps.

"With an ageing population, the number of people with dementia is set to grow, so too will the costs. We need a national dementia strategy for Wales to set out how we will manage a growing issue for Welsh society."

'We still have a mortgage'

The issue is not just affecting older people. Susan Hulme from Llangunnor, Carmarthenshire, was 59 years old when she was diagnosed with dementia.

Susan Hulme now has a befriending volunteer through the Alzheimer's Society who visits once a fortnight

Before her diagnosis, the now 61-year-old was in full-time employment, working with people who had left prison. Now she relies on benefits.

"I thought I was going to work until I retired," she said. "We still have a mortgage, we still have bills to pay. All of a sudden that just stopped and now it's just my husband that works."

She now has a befriending volunteer through the Alzheimer's Society who visits once a fortnight.

A Welsh government spokesman said it had already invested £130m in dementia services and the extra £6m would help pay for plans to recruit new primary care workers who would provide face-to-face support and advice, and investment in occupational therapy on mental health wards.

It was also providing new primary care link nurses to provide training to care staff and training more "dementia friends" who were able to spot signs of illness.