Our Fundraising team are keen to hear about the impact of the cost of living crisis on people affected by dementia. While people across the country are being affected in many different ways, it's important for the team to be able share with donors exactly how the situation is affecting people with dementia and their families. This could include:
- Fuel costs impacting hospital appointments, care home visits, or other activities
- Energy bills affecting your home life - or any worries for the winter months
- Food prices
- If someone in your family has given up work/reduced their hours due to diagnosis or caring responsibilities, has the cost of living had an even greater impact on that change?
This isn't an exhaustive list, but anything that is impacting you would be really useful for the team to hear about. It will help to bring these issues to life for our supporters, whose number one concern is always supporting people affected by dementia.
Thanks everyone.
Hi
I had to give up my full-time job to care for my husband's relative.
My husband receives Pension Credit and because of this I cannot claim Carers Allowance unless my husband gives up his Pension Credit. This means I get nothing in my own right. I feel this is grossly unfair.
The relative I care for is also in receipt of Pension Credit.
As he has Cancer in addition to his Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease and has many other complex health needs, he requires the heating on all day.
The costs worry me, especially as I am having to subsidise him financially out of my dwindling savings.
I would have liked to place my relative into Respite care to allow myself a short break from caring. This has nit been possible due to the fact that he cannot afford it and neither can I. The irony is that my relative does have money but it is tied up in his house.
The Local Authority states that it would not be in his 'Best Interest' to release equity from his house. This would be lengthy and expensive anyway.
As my relative's eating habits have changed due to his Dementia, the cost of buying the foods he will eat have rocketed and adds to the ever increasing daily living costs.
He use to love going out for coffee and cake but this is a luxury we can no longer afford to do now. He likes me to take him for a drive down 'memory Lane' but due to the increased costs of fuel, I have had to cut back on this activity, especially as I travel 60 miles to care for my relative.
Those in authority a who have the power to change this, I feel are totally out of touch with the reality of people in a similar situation to myself.