Funding alone won’t fix the social care system

Funding alone won’t fix the social care system Alzheimer’s Society is investing in three new research centres of excellence that aim to find ways to improve quality of life and care

The election campaign led the public to the misconception that the “dementia tax” is a new issue. The reality is that decades of squeezed government funding have left people with dementia and their families enduring inadequate care, crippling costs and impossible choices. The Queen’s speech on Wednesday will hopefully promise to create a long-term, sustainable system for funding dementia care that doesn’t leave the burden of cost on individuals.

But fixing the system goes beyond funding. The government needs to adopt a more cost-effective approach that starts with preventing or slowing the rate that people need to access services. Investing money in ways to improve quality of life – and the quality of support people affected by dementia receive from the start of the care pathway – will alleviate the demand and reduce the costs incurred at a later stage. Continue reading... The Guardian