The number of people with dementia in Cheshire West will soar by more than 40 per cent over the next decade.

Currently, 5,161 in the borough are living with the condition, however this is expected to increase by 40.7 per cent to total 7,262 by 2030.

This is according to a new report commissioned by Alzheimer’s Society, which predicts that as the population ages, a higher proportion of people with dementia will have higher care needs for longer.

This will in turn drive up the average amount spent on care.

Figures provided by London School of Economics and Political Science show that more than 60 per cent a year of social care costs in England will fall on people with dementia and their families.

Previous research by Alzheimer’s Society has shown that someone with dementia will typically have to spend £100,000 on care, forcing many 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 launched its election manifesto, ‘Dealing with the dementia dilemma’.

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

“From the working mum struggling to find fund her mum’s 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 and it should be spread between us.”