Alzheimer's Society Condemns Daylight Robbery And Drugging Of Older People

Main Category: Alzheimer's / Dementia
Also Included In: Seniors / Aging
Article Date: 03 Jun 2009 - 4:00 PDT

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Older people in Britain are being drugged and robbed when they need care.

Alzheimer's Society accused the government of 'daylight robbery' and warned of a 'Granny Crunch' unless swift action is taken to change the system. Speaking today at the Annual Meeting of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Chief Executive, Neil Hunt will call on the government to publish its review of the use of antipsychotic drugs and its green paper on adult funding of social care.

Neil Hunt, Chief Executive of Alzheimer's Society, says

'It's an outrage that promises remain unfulfilled while people are being prescribed harmful antipsychotic drugs and families are being bankrupted by a derelict charging system. We are headed for a Granny Crunch unless the government acts now.

'The average employed person works 1701 hours a year towards a healthy happy retirement. But for hundreds of thousands of older people who develop dementia the reality is starkly different. People become victims of daylight robbery as they are forced to pay huge amounts for often poor quality care. Care homes cost five times the state pension and quality varies greatly.

Over 105,000 people are inappropriately prescribed antipsychotic drugs, costing over £60 million a year. These drugs double the risk of death, triple risk of stroke and accelerate cognitive decline.'

Alzheimer's Society is calling for swift action to implement fairer charging systems and a plan to reduce the use of antipsychotics. In just 17 years over a million people in the UK will have dementia.

Notes

- The typical person with dementia in a care home has just 2 minutes social interaction with any another person every 6 hours[1].

- Over 70% of people with dementia experience challenging behavior at some point during their illness, such as aggression or restlessness. Specialist dementia training for care home staff reduces need for antipsychotics by up to 50%, according to Alzheimer's Society research.

- People with dementia and carers are hit hardest by the charging system as; most dementia care is means tested as it comes from local authorities not the NHS; people need help for a long periods of time; most end of life dementia care is especially intensive and provided in care homes which is means tested.

- The basic state pension (per week from 9 April 2009)) based on your own or your late husband's, wife's or civil partner's NI contributions is £95.25.

- Saga Annual Cost of Care Report 2008 commissioned from Laing & Buisson found that the average cost of a care home per week was £540. Figures are based on fees reported by 1,644 of the 11,878 registered private and voluntary care homes for older people in the UK responding to Laing & Buisson surveys between April and June 2008, plus minimum and maximum fee rates contained in inspection reports published by the Commission for Social Care Inspection in England.

- OECD (1998) data found that the average UK person works 1701 hours per year.

- One in three of us over 65 will die with dementia.

- 700,000 people in the UK have a form of dementia, more than half have Alzheimer's disease. In less than 20 years nearly a million people will be living with dementia. This will soar to 1.7 million people by 2051.

- Alzheimer's Society champions the rights of people living with dementia and those who care for them. Alzheimer's Society works in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

- Alzheimer's Society needs to raise money to support people today and to find a cure for tomorrow. You can donate now by calling 0845 306 0898 or visiting http://www.alzheimers.org.uk.

Source
Alzheimer's Society