A HEALTHCARE firm, which operates a care home in Tipton St John, hopes a �1million fund will help dementia sufferers and their families as costs soar.

A HEALTHCARE firm, which operates a care home in Tipton St John, hopes a �1million fund will help dementia sufferers and their families as costs soar.

MPs have warned that the cost of caring for those with dementia is expected to rise by more than a third over the next eight years.

It is thought dementia care currently costs the UK economy around �20billion a year.

Tipton’s Angela Court Nursing Home operator, PSP Healthcare, has a special �1million fund to help families struggling to fund care for their loved ones.

Operation director Wayne Shermon said: “We recognise the costs of nursing care can be very high and often cause additional stress for families. Our special fund can be used to subsidise the cost of providing nursing care.”

Mr Shermon said the average cost of providing nursing care for an elderly resident with dementia is around �700 per week.

He added local health authorities currently only pay out around �530 a week.

“The cost of caring for those with dementia has increased significantly over the past few years, but government funding hasn’t caught up.

“We have been working closely with Devon County Council to ensure those requiring access to our specialist services are able to do so by taking advantage of our subsidy fund.”