Under the current rules people suffering from the disease have to fund their own care but a growing number of MPs are joining calls for an end to these charges.

The reason sufferers are forced to pay for their care is because it is defined as social, rather than healthcare related. Campaigners want this classification changed.

Offering his support, Mr Foster said: "Alzheimer's is an incredibly debilitating condition, leaving many people needing help with simple tasks like eating and drinking. It is wrong that patients should be asked to pay for that."

So far 75 MPs have signed a Parliamentary motion calling on the Government to fully recognise and accommodate the needs of dementia sufferers.

Mr Foster added: "As future care and support mechanisms are drawn up, catering for the needs of dementia patients should be an absolute priority."

Hastings has long been at the centre of campaigning to improve the lives of alzheimer's patients.

Local sufferer Keith Turner and his wife Lillian have been at the forefront of calls to get the miracle drug Aricept made more readily available to people with dementia.

Do you agree? Perhaps you know someone with alzheimer's. Do you think they should get free care? Should Aricept be more readily available? Leave your comments below: