Nearly 7 in 10 dementia carers struggle to balance care and work

Nearly seven in ten respondents say caring for a person with dementia is hard to combine with daily work and family life, according to the Dementiemonitor, a report published every two years by Alzheimer Nederland and the care research institute Nivel. Informal care (mantelzorg) for people with dementia remains "just as intensive as ever", the researchers write.

One in five carers who work has cut back, by on average more than one working day. Another 15% have stopped working because of caregiving.

Statistics Netherlands (CBS) has also published new research on carers. Almost 60% of those who give more than eight hours of care a week rate their health as good. Among people who are not carers, it is more than two-thirds. People who give a lot of care also report feelings of anxiety and depression more often, CBS says.

Alzheimer Nederland says the number of carers will grow in the coming years, partly because the population is ageing and the care sector has staff shortages. Enough support is needed to prevent overload and dropout, it says, for example by bringing in a case manager early and planning care well. Dementia-friendly workplace support could also help.

The Dementiemonitor surveyed more than 12,000 respondents between March and June 2026. Most are women, with an average age of 66.

The Dementiemonitor also finds that a majority of carers of people with dementia feel lonely and have relationship problems.

Three in ten carers of people with dementia say they can keep going for at most one more year, the Dementiemonitor finds. More than half of carers report psychological and physical problems.