AN INVESTIGATION from Alzheimer's Society, part of the "Fix Dementia Care" campaign, has exposed a broken system that fails to equip homecare workers with the necessary skills and understanding to help people with dementia living in the community.

Opening your door to anyone can be stressful, but living with dementia may mean you don't recognise the visitor, or understand why they are there.

If that confusion isn't relieved quickly, fear, anxiety and agitation can follow, damaging the sense of confidence in the one place that made you feel secure.

Around 400,000 people with dementia in England have professional homecare workers coming through their door, providing support with medication, washing, dressing and support with eating and drinking.

More than 1,200 people affected by dementia shared their experience of homecare with the Alzheimer's Society.

Many detailed the intolerable stress they had experienced because the care services they received failed to demonstrate an understanding of the condition, meaning loved ones spent the day in soiled clothing, went without food or water or ended up in hospital.

Homecare providers are operating in an increasingly impossible financial environment, with social care budgets cut by more than a third since 2010.

As a result training is often one of the first things on the cutting block, which is a false economy.

Alzheimer’s Society is calling on government to fix a broken system ending the vicious cycle for people affected by dementia by funding dementia training for all homecare workers.

Jo Hawkins, Operations manager, Alzheimer’s Society Cheshire