Experts believe dementia patients face ‘care tax'

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• 10 Sep

  Experts say that in the UK Dementia patients face an "unfair care tax" as they are left to sort out a lot of their care themselves.

  The Alzheimer's Society have found that on average the equivalent of £32,242 a year was spent on care per patient, however researchers said that on average only a third of £10,784 came from NHS or council funds, leaving a shortfall, reports the BBC. 

  The research has been carried out by the London School of Economics and Kings College London and was taken to update figures compiled by the charity in 2007.

  Experts found that caring for dementia patients in the UK cost the equivalent of £26.3bn but estimated that two thirds of this money came from private care services or from unpaid care.

  That works out at £32,242 for an individual with £21,322 not coming from the state.

  Alzheimer's Society chief executive Jeremy Hughes said the figures were "staggering" and the lack of paid-for care was, in effect, a "dementia care tax". 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."

  What do you think of this? Tweet us your comments @suppsolutions

  By Laura Matthews

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