MORE than 3,900 people in Warrington are estimated to have dementia by 2030.

The number of people with dementia in Warrington will soar by more than 46 per cent over the next decade, warns a report commissioned by Alzheimer’s Society.

The report predicts that as our population ages, a higher proportion of people with dementia will have higher care needs for longer, driving up the average amount spent on care.

The figures, from the London School of Economics and Political Science, show more than 60 per cent a year of social care costs in England will fall on people with dementia and their families.

In Warrington, the number of people living with dementia is expected to increase from its current figure of 2,704 to 3,959 in 2030.

Previous research by Alzheimer’s Society has shown that someone with dementia will typically have to spend £100,000 on their care and many are forced to sell their homes to pay for it.

Alzheimer’s Society’s call ahead of the general election, from its Fix Dementia Care campaign, is for all political parties to commit to radically reform dementia care.

The Society believes it should be funded like other public services, such as the NHS and education, where the cost is shared across society, protecting individuals and their families from the devastating costs of specialist dementia care.

Alzheimer’s Society released the figures as it launches its election manifesto, ‘Dealing with the dementia dilemma’.

Mandy Gough, services manager for Alzheimer’s Society in Warrington, said: “Dementia is heart-breaking for families. It’s not right that those going through it have to battle to get the care they need on top of battling the disease.

“From the working mum struggling to find hundreds of pounds every week to ‘top up’ her mum’s council-funded care home place, to the woman who had to sell her home of 50 years to pay for her husband’s care – families affected by dementia are already at breaking point.

"With costs set to treble in the next two decades, how on earth will they cope?

“The cost of dementia care is too much for an individual to bear. It should be spread between us – just like schools, the NHS and other public services."