Dementia’s tragic toll: 50,000 quit jobs to care for sufferers
- More than 65,000 people are now juggling work and care for sufferer
- Nine out of ten businesses say they would consider flexible hours for carers
- Campaigners say more needs to be done to help those with condition
- Celebrities Alesha Dixon, Ray Winstone and Amanda Holden back new drive
More than 50,000 carers will have to quit their jobs to look after loved ones with dementia this year, research shows.
Dementia care costs businesses in England £1.6billion a year and 66,000 employees have to adjust their work schedule to make time for their caring responsibilities.
Public Health England and leading health charity, the Alzheimer’s Society, have joined forces in a major campaign to encourage the public to tackle one of the nation’s biggest health issues.
Research shows more than 65,000 workers are having to change their schedule to care for someone with dementia.
The Dementia Friends initiative, which has also been backed by some of Britain’s biggest stars, aims to show that it will take a whole society response to enable people with the condition to live well.
Celebrities including Amanda Holden, Ray Winstone, Chris Martin, Paul O’Grady, Simon Pegg and Alesha Dixon feature in a video, urging the public to become ‘dementia friends’, as they perform the Beatles classic, With A Little Help From My Friends.
Author Sir Terry Pratchett, who has Alzheimer’s, is also involved. And yesterday Sir Paul McCartney was announced as an ambassador for the campaign.
Dementia Friends has released research which shows signs of businesses being more willing to help with dementia care.
A report compiled by the Centre for Economics and Business Research for the campaign showed that most firms have already provided or would consider providing support to carers of someone living with dementia.
Nearly nine out of ten businesses polled (87 per cent) have or would consider letting carers work flexible hours, while more than half of businesses would consider providing a range of support to dementia carers such as flexible working hours (63 per cent), extended leave (61 per cent), working from different locations (53 per cent) plus counselling and support (51 per cent). Around 18 per cent would consider paying for respite care.
