Dementia to cost economy £90bn by 2040 as population ages
Dementia will cost the economy £90 billion by 2040 as the population ages, researchers have said.
The largest study of the economic impact of the disease on Britain revealed the cost will more than double from £42 billion a year to £90 billion a year without action.
The economic burden consists of costs to the NHS and social care, as well as the loss of work and productivity of patients, their families and unpaid carers.
Patients and their families are shouldering almost two thirds of the costs of the disease themselves, the analysis of 26,000 people found.
The research, commissioned by the Alzheimer’s Society and undertaken by Carnall Farrar, found the total cost of dementia care ranges from £29,000 to £81,000 per year, depending on how severe the disease is.
Around one million people in the UK have dementia, but this is set to rise to 1.6 million by 2040 because of an ageing population, and projections suggest one in three people born today will develop the condition at some point in their lives.
The growth in patients also means there will be a significant and growing burden on unpaid carers to take care of their loved ones who receive a diagnosis.
Unpaid carers already spend more than 100 hours per week providing care, while 16 per cent have had to quit their jobs to take it on full-time.
Researchers say demand for unpaid care will increase by 43 per cent within the next 16 years, adding to the growing cost to society.
A third of people affected have not received a diagnosis, according to the Alzheimer’s Society, with just 1.4 per cent of the total healthcare expenditure going on diagnosis.
The majority of costs come from social care, at 40 per cent, and unpaid care, at 50 per cent, the report said.
The charity said families are “left to pick up the pieces” and incur “catastrophic costs further down the line”.
One in three will develop disease
Kate Lee, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Society, said: “One in three people born today will develop dementia. It’s the biggest health and care issue of our time, yet it isn’t the priority it should be amongst decision-makers.
“We wouldn’t accept this for any other terminal disease, we shouldn’t accept this for dementia.”
She said that without earlier diagnosis and access to treatment there is “no hope of addressing the major dementia challenges we face and reducing the cost to the health service and wider economy”.
Paul Kemp, 57, from Kent, whose wife, Sandy, 55, lives with early-onset dementia, explained how her life had changed since receiving the news.
“Sandy was so kind and gentle. Her smile lit up the room wherever she went but dementia has stripped that away.
“She can barely talk and can’t comprehend the world around her anymore.
“She’s increasingly aggressive and agitated and is regressing quickly – I feel so helpless and isolated,” he said.
Full-time carer for wife
Mr Kemp said he had been forced to become a full-time carer for his wife and his mother, selling personal effects to pay for care and essentials.
He said they had to challenge the doctors’ “assumption” that Mrs Kemp had depression after first visiting the GP in 2018 and that a two-year delay in diagnosis meant they’d been “robbed of that precious time”.
“Two years felt like an agonising lifetime to wait when we knew something wasn’t right. If an early and accurate diagnosis was given, we could have accessed the right support, but we’ve been robbed of that precious time,” he said.
Vicky McClure MBE, actor and Alzheimer’s Society Ambassador, said: “More needs to be done now to support people in getting a dementia diagnosis.
“Dementia can absolutely devastate families in so many ways but receiving an early diagnosis can be a lifeline for people to access the vital treatment and care they desperately need.”
