CFAS - Cost of dementia

Cost of Informal Care

The Resource Implications Study (RIS), a substudy of the cognitive function and ageing study (CFAS), followed up a subgroup of the original study population.

The participants in this study had been classified as either physically disabled, cognitively impaired or both.

Of 1127 of these subjects living at home –

7% reported no informal support
15% had paid support only
78% nominated a key informal supporter.

Key supporters were spouses (38%), daughter (30%), sons (9%), daughter-in-law (4%), other relatives (11%) and friends and neighbours (8%).

Of 317 living in institutions 55% received a main visitor at least once a week.

This study highlights the key role of spouses and daughters in informal support.(1)

A second study interviewed 650 of the nominated informal supporters. 43% of these supporters reported financial costs and 45% reported lost social opportunities. The vast majority reported at least on social cost (92%) and identified one positive aspect of care giving 95%. (2)

Reference

The Resource implications study group of the MRC cognitive function and ageing study (1998). Mental and physical frailty in older people: The costs and benefits of informal care. Ageing and Society 18, 317-354
The Resource implications study group of the MRC Cognitive Function and Ageing Study (1999). Informal care giving for frail older people at home and in long term care institutions: Who are the key supporters? Health and Social care in the Community 7(6);434-444

Cost of Formal Care

An important factor determining future health care expenditure is the relationship between ageing, health status and development of age-related disorders such as dementia.

CFAS and the Resource Implications Study (RIS) estimated the formal care costs associated with dementia in England and Wales between 1994 and 2031.

Results:

Total costs per year were £0.95 billion (men) and £5.35 billion (women) using 1994 population estimates.

For 2031, costs were £2.34 billion and £11.20 billion, respectively.
Recalculating assuming reduced dementia prevalence rates and improvements in mental and physical functioning resulted in lower estimates: £1.01 billion (men) and £5.77 billion (women), and £1.65 billion (men) and £7.87 billion (women), respectively.

Conclusions: Future increases in the population aged 65 years or over lead to rising formal care costs. However, the magnitude of cost changes depends on assumptions over dementia prevalence and levels of mental and physical functioning.

References
RIS MRC CFAS, P McNamee, J Bond, D Buck (2001). Apocalypse now?: Cost of dementia in England and Wales in the 21st Century. Br J Psychiatry, 179:261-266

Health and Society: CFA Studies
Aims of the CFA Studies; Design of the CFA Studies; Biological Samples; Summary of Findings; Prevalence of Dementia; Prevalence of Dementia in Institutional Care; Incidence of Dementia; Risk Factors for Dementia; Disability and Healthy Ageing; Costs of Dementia; Healthy Active Life Expectancy; Neuropathology; Supplementary Information From Publications; Operationalisation of Mild Cognitive Impairment