A third of people over 80 are expected to develop dementia and with people living longer, the increase in dementia patients will put pressure on health services and the husbands and wives left to care for them.

A series of workshops are currently being held in Northamptonshire to create a plan on how to cope with dementia in the future.

Annette Lumb, programme manager for dementia for the Department of Health East Midlands, said: "Health and social care teams need to get these services right otherwise there are going to be problems with service provision in the future.

"Ideally we want to allow people to live at home rather than be admitted to a care home or a hospital bed."

The announcement also comes as new figures show there are more than 27,000 unpaid carers looking after loved ones in north Northamptonshire, 2,800 of whom are in poor health themselves.

Doreen Cartin's husband Billy, 72, was diagnosed with dementia two years ago. He now needs help with everything from getting dressed and going to the toilet to drinking a cup of tea.

Mrs Cartin, of Higham Ferrers, said: "I think he knows something is wrong but he doesn't know what. I still love him deeply but he is not the same man."

There are currently 7,258 people diagnosed with dementia in Northamptonshire, including 560 in Corby, 1,024 in east Northants, 1,017 in Kettering and 847 in Wellingborough. The total number is expected to rise to 11,899 by 2025.