Half of carers looking after dementia patients have been abusive towards them, a study published in the British Medical Journal has found.

UCL researchers questioned 220 carers looking after people with dementia at home. Of these, 115 (52%) had been abusive in some way to the person in their care, with 74 (34%) reporting significant levels of abuse such as swearing often or being insulting.

Rebecca Wood, Chief Executive of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, said: “These unsettling findings suggest abuse of dementia patients is more widespread than previously thought.

“Dementia requires a particularly dedicated form of care that puts enormous human and economic strains on our society. The is facing a dementia crisis; the number of people with the condition will hit 1.5 million within a generation.

“The Government must do much more to support carers, protect patients and fund more research into treatments for this terrible disease.”