Advice

How the cost of living crisis is impacting people affected by dementia

We asked members of Talking Point how the cost of living crisis has impacted their lives.

Talking Point is a helpful community that’s free and open 24/7, where anyone who’s affected by dementia can get valuable support online.

DennyD says,

‘So that I could support my husband’s needs during his Alzheimer’s, I gave up a reasonably paid job. Once he transferred into care and sadly passed away soon after admission, I needed to find employment. I’m not at retirement age yet. 

‘Due to the employment gap since I left my job and my age (not far off 60), it was an anxious struggle to find new employment.

‘I was lucky to eventually get back into work, however find myself now on an income at the minimum wage. I find myself having to live on a strict budget.’ 

Wifenotcarer says,

‘Although I am now a widow rather than a carer, I would add that my household gas/electric bills dropped by almost 50% when my husband went into a care home. 

‘I surmised that this was due to no longer having seven or eight loads of washing/drying each week, lights, TV, electric fire being randomly switched and left on, the need for sometimes twice daily showers, and constant reheating in the microwave of abandoned meals and drinks. 

‘I was fortunate that the care home was within walking distance, otherwise there would have been fuel costs for visiting him on average three or four times a week.’ 

Duggies-girl says,

‘My air fryer turned up yesterday and I am very impressed up to now. We have a smart meter and it tells me how much any appliance is costing at the time, and I think it is going to make a big difference.

‘It may not stop the bills from going up but they will not go up as much as if I hadn’t bought it. It cooks in half the time at half the price and our fishcakes and chips last night were very nice. I bought a fairly decent one with three shelves as there are three of us.’  

Pejic says,

‘Look at yourself and what your own personal problems are, don’t just take on board what you’re being told are your problems by other people.

‘Then cut your coat according to your cloth, as we used to say: reserve what resources you have for what you decide is essential for you.’ 

Patricia2 says,

‘So much food is getting wasted in our house. I cook, he has a couple of forks then says he will eat it later.

‘It gets microwaved later then gets put in the fridge because he then decides he will eat it tomorrow. Of course, it ends up in the bin.  

‘Due to prices, I’m buying less now and being careful. What he wastes in a week would feed another person. I try to vary the food so he’s not getting bored but it doesn’t always work. So frustrating.’