Costs of Informal Care for People Suffering from Dementia: Evidence from a Danish Survey

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Around 70,000-80,000 Danes suffer from dementia. As average life expectancy increases, the number of people suffering from dementia is expected to increase in the future with informal care provided by family and friends becoming more important. The aim of this study was to estimate the time spent by family and friends on informal care of persons suffering from dementia in a Danish setting and calculate the economic implications. METHODS: Information on informal care time was collected in a postal survey of members of the Danish Alzheimer's Association. Data from 469 informal caregivers were obtained corresponding to an adjusted response rate of 62%. RESULTS: On a typical day, informal care time was 4.97-6.91 h for primary caregivers and 0.70-1.06 h for other caregivers. Using the proxy good method to value informal care, daily costs ranged between EUR 160 and 223 for primary caregivers and between EUR 23 and 34 for others. CONCLUSION: Informal care delivered by family and friends is significant. The value of informal care constitutes an important part of the societal cost of dementia in Denmark.