1.3.2 Informal Care Costs

Costs associated with dementia are 40–75% higher for informal care than for formal care and for all medical expenses.
In recent years, informal caregivers (i.e., most frequently family members and friends) cared for dementia patients for an average of 5 hours a day. This may be too much to handle.
Families and caregivers may experience significant stress due to physical, mental, and financial challenges, and the health, social, economic, and legal systems must provide support.