The daughter of a Chippenham man with dementia who died during the pandemic lockdown has joined calls to improve home care.

Jane Sims, 54, lives in Chippenham. Her dad, Roy Evans, who lived in Calne, was diagnosed with dementia and passed away in January this year.

Roy, who was 84, had four children and ten grandchildren. He moved into a care home when Covid restrictions hit.

Her call is part of the Alzheimer's Society push to expose the stark reality of being a dementia carer without adequate support.

Nearly three quarters of family carers said their loved one with dementia had experienced medical issues because of a lack of support, and one in nine had been rushed to hospital.

In a supporting survey of unpaid carers, almost half reported that they had performed tasks they felt unqualified to carry out.

Jane said: “Dad worked his socks off for his family. He was supportive and caring, he was very jolly and had a wicked sense of humour. He was a lovely dad. Everybody knew him in Calne.

“Trying to get dad the care he needed was a constant battle. You only ever hear what can’t be done or isn’t possible, rather than what can be done. You have to know the system and fight and fight and fight.

"My sister led on the fight to get dad the support he needed, and that was constant. It shouldn’t be that exhausting. She had to have three weeks off work on two separate occasions with the stress of it all. It was overwhelmingly frustrating and stressful for her.

“The care home didn’t offer dad any home comforts apart from a few pictures on his wall.

"There was no stimulation for him. He was just sat in a bed for months on end and he got worse and worse. A basic level of compassion was lacking.

"I don’t know whether it’s down to lack of funding or whether they’ve cut staff. I think they don’t pay enough to recruit the right people or give meaningful training to those in post.

“People that work in care homes have such a responsible job but they get paid very little for their work. The government is out of touch with how many pockets of society live their lives. An acceptable standard of care should be a universal right no matter your surrounding circumstances.”

There are 850,000 people in the UK living with dementia, including more than 7,900 in Wiltshire. The national figure is set to reach two million by 2051.

Kelly Inwood, Alzheimer’s Society Area Manager said: “Lockdown has left people with dementia across Wiltshire cut off from vital support and care. Interrupted routines, loneliness and isolation have contributed to rapid symptom progression, meaning there’s now more people than ever fighting for scarce dementia care.

“The legacy of this terrible year must be a reformed social care system, which is free at the point of use and put on an equal footing with the NHS.”