An Alzheimer's Society investigation reveals that if people planned to save at the same rate they put into a pension, they would need 125 years to cover dementia costs.
Meanwhile, a survey conducted for the charity revealed 47% of adults aged between 16 and 75 have not started saving for the care and support they might need in the future.
While NHS treatment for illness is free, many people are left to pick up the bill for the huge social care costs associated with dementia, which affects 84,000 people in the South West.
The Alzheimer's Society survey showed that 54% of people asked said they believed the Government should pay for their care and support if they developed dementia.
The results came as no surprise to one carer who has witnessed the effects of dementia.
"I think that the Government should definitely be funding social care for people with dementia, 100%," said Chloe Buckingham, 23.
Her grandmother, Susan Harris, 71, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's four years ago.
"I didn't know much about dementia until my nan got it. I didn't know that people have to pay. It was a shock. It was pretty tough on my nan and the family.
"Nan is in the late stages in a home in St Austell. She doesn't know anyone. It is very hard to watch," said Ms Buckingham, a supermarket worker who lives in Falmouth.
Chloe Buckingham and her mother, Julie
She said that few of her friends knew anything about dementia until she spoke about her experiences with her grandmother. "They thought it was a disease that is about old age, but it's not," she said.
Dementia Awareness Week, which runs until Saturday, is aimed at spreading knowledge and pushing for better care and more research.
The Alzheimer's Society's released the survey as part of its United Against Dementia campaign.
Jeremy Hughes, the society's chief executive, said: "Dementia is a disease, as cancer is a disease, as heart disease is a disease. Getting dementia shouldn't mean families are left bankrupt or destitute with nothing to leave behind.
"The social care crisis is a dementia crisis. Many people with dementia and their families are buckling under the inordinate pressure of propping up a failing social care system that has been starved of funding for decades. Too many people are forced to give up everything they own in order to care day in and day out for their mother, father, husband or wife.
Julie and Chloe Buckingham have formed a dementia fundraising and awareness group, Ladies Aloud
"Repeatedly governments have failed to put a long-term plan in place. On behalf of people with dementia, I challenge the next government to create a long-term sustainable system for funding dementia care. Currently, many people with dementia feel deserted by the state, and must rely on family members and carers for the support they need."
To mark Dementia Awareness Week world-leading researchers working on dementia at the University of Exeter have offered insights into the condition based on their areas of expertise.
Professor Linda Clare, Professor of Clinical Psychology of Ageing and Dementia and Dr Anne Corbett, senior lecturer in dementia, research say that lifestyle influences the risk of developing dementia.
There are many different types of dementia, although the most common is Alzheimer's disease.
In about one third of cases lifestyle plays a part in whether
or not someone develops Alzheimer's.
The risk of developing Alzheimer's is increased for people who are overweight or obese; have high blood pressure in middle age; smoke; drink alcohol to excess; experience depression, or have diabetes (at any age).
There are ways of reducing this risk. These include: being physically and mentally active; being involved in social activities; eating a healthy diet rich in fish and vegetables; taking promotion or staying on in education, and regularly engaging in evidence-based brain-training programmes.
