Dementia care in England: support at home, care homes, costs and funding

Care at home

Home care agencies registered with CQC for dementia can help with washing and dressing, meals, medication prompts, and company. Ask for the same small team of carers, because familiar faces reduce distress, and for visits of at least 30 minutes so carers are not rushed. Overnight or live-in care helps when someone is up at night, wanders or is at risk of falls.

Ask the council for a free care needs assessment as soon as care starts to feel hard. It can lead to funded care, equipment, day centres and respite breaks for family carers.

When a care home is right

A care home is usually considered when someone needs help day and night, has frequent falls or infections, or when the person caring for them can no longer cope safely. Look for homes registered for dementia, with a calm layout, safe outdoor space and staff trained in dementia care. People with complex health needs, such as advanced dementia with other conditions, may need a nursing home with a registered nurse on duty at all times.

Costs

Dementia care usually costs more than standard care because it needs more staff time. Our Care Fees and Quality Index puts typical care home fees in England at £1,450 a week for residential care and £1,690 for nursing care; dementia care is often towards the top of the range. Visiting home care typically costs £33.50 an hour.

Funding and benefits

• Council funding: if savings and assets are below £23,250, the council may help pay after a financial assessment. Your home isn't counted for care at home.
• NHS Continuing Healthcare: pays in full where needs are mainly health needs. Dementia alone doesn't qualify, but complex or unpredictable needs may.
• Attendance Allowance: £76.70 or £114.60 a week for people over State Pension age who need help, whatever their savings.
• Council Tax: someone with a diagnosis of dementia can be disregarded for Council Tax, so a person living alone may pay nothing.

Set up a lasting power of attorney for health and for money while the person can still make that decision.

Find dementia care near you

Home care agencies: dementia care

• Birmingham 226
• Bilston 221
• Leicester 213
• Buckhurst Hill 211
• Tipton 209
• Coseley 206
• Smethwick 200
• Oldbury 190
• Chigwell 182
• Willenhall 180
• Sedgley 178
• Wednesbury 176
• West Bromwich 174
• Leeds 169
• Manchester 163
• Aveley 163

Care homes: dementia care

• Croydon 54
• Barnet 46
• Leeds 40
• Southport 38
• Enfield 37
• Havering 36
• Derby 35
• Kingston upon Hull 34
• Kingston upon Thames 34
• Southend-on-Sea 34
• Blackpool 32
• Weston-super-Mare 31
• Bournemouth 31
• Sheffield 30
• Wolverhampton 30
• Coventry 30

Search any town or postcode

Our guides

• Lasting power of attorney or deputyship: which do you need?
• Choosing a dementia care home: what good looks like
• Dementia Care at Home: Creating a Safe, Familiar Environment
• Council Tax Reduction for Dementia: The Severe Mental Impairment Discount
• Alzheimer's care at home: a practical guide
• Dementia care at home: costs and funding
• Dementia care at home vs a dementia care home
• Live-in dementia care: how it works
• Is dementia care free? NHS Continuing Healthcare and dementia
• Stages of dementia and the care needed at each stage
• Early Signs of Dementia: What Families Should Look For
• Lasting Power of Attorney for health and care decisions

Questions

Is dementia care free in England?

Not usually. Councils fund care for people with savings under £23,250 after a financial assessment, and the NHS pays in full only if someone qualifies for NHS Continuing Healthcare. Attendance Allowance and the Council Tax disregard help whatever someone's savings.

Can someone with dementia stay at home?

Many people do, with visiting care that increases over time and live-in care later on. A care home becomes the safer choice when someone needs help around the clock and live-in care isn't possible or affordable.

What should I look for in a dementia care home?

Registration with CQC for dementia, a recent Good or Outstanding rating, the same staff on most shifts, a calm and easy-to-navigate building, safe outdoor space and activities that suit the person's interests. Visit at a mealtime and in the afternoon, when people with dementia are often more restless.

Checklists

Visiting a care home · Choosing a home care agency · Live-in care · Dementia care · Easy Read: care costs