David Martin with his trusty guitar this week

THOUSANDS of people in Camden are coping with the mental and physical toll of caring for relatives at home, often due to the high cost of social care.

For many, particularly caring for people with dementia, this is a 24-hour and unpaid vocation with a deeply felt ripple effect. With the cost of even the most basic shop rising sharply in recent weeks, more and more people are facing tough decisions.

David Martin, who looks after his 98-year-old dad who has dementia, said he often felt exhausted and sometimes struggled to get out of bed in the morning.

But the 74-year-old, who has survived two different cancers himself, told me there was one antidepressant that is sure to lift his spirits every time: the tonic of music.

“Depression is a terrible thing,” he said.

“You can end up on drugs, drink – end up on the pavement. You see it all around here in Camden. The further you go, the further you lose your grip.

“When I get the guitar out I feel great, when I put it away I’m right down again. I don’t know what it is, I wish I did. But it works. It’s the music, it is keeping me together. It gives you a break. It helps the mind flow.”

Mr Martin was wearing some original badges – “CND”, “Rock and Roll”, and “World’s Greatest Musician”.

“We need to get back to the 60s with the flower power. They had the right idea. There was hope then. It was a new generation. I think the generation today has more of a struggle than what we ever had.”

Back in the 70s, David was in a band called The Decoys and is well known around Camden Town where he regularly plays in bars and clubs.

“The reason I carry on doing it is because I get the reaction from the people listening,” he said.

“I was up the Archway Tavern on Monday night. I play rock and roll, folk, blues, John Denver, Neil Diamond, Chuck Berry – I always get a drink from people there listening. As long as there’s an open mic to go to I’m happy. Music is a tonic you see.”

Mr Martin had half his liver and bowel removed and chemotherapy for two separate cancer diagnoses.

His dad was a skilled carpenter and a tailor who lived in the family home in Mackenzie Road, off the Caledonian Road.

“With Dad and the dementia, it’s been going on for two years now really. We have had carers come in – they wash him, dress him and change his underwear and so forth. Sometimes they come two or three times a day, but then they are gone and there is still a lot that needs to be done.

“But really, for what they do, we have to think about whether it’s worth the £100 a week, with the cost of living and food going up now?

“I do the shopping and I take £20 and you’re only getting basically what you need: butter, cheese, bread. No ice cream, or anything like that. My pension is not going anywhere, it just gets eaten up.

“I know it’s the same for everybody, we’re not a special case. But I don’t feel like that’s going to get any better.”

He told me: “I want to send a message, look this is what I’ve been through – you can get through it too – with music. Pick up an instrument.

“Love, peace and happiness.”