Family members bear 73% of costs of care for dementia in Brazil
At least 73 percent of the costs involved in caring for people with dementia in Brazil are borne by patients’ families. The figure can be found in the National Report on Dementia in Brazil (Renade), by the Hospital Alemão Oswaldo Cruz, an initiative under PROADI-SUS, the Program to Support the Institutional Development of SUS, Brazil’s national health care network. The study also reveals that the people in charge of providing care—most of whom women—are overburdened.Depending on the stage of dementia, costs covered by family members can reach 81.3 percent, the report says.“Care may require hours and hours of dedication. You may be forced to quit your job in order to provide care, for instance. They’re what we call informal costs. It’s important to offer support to the family,” psychiat...