Some 74% said they will be unable to cope if prices continue to rise, and 68% said the pressure is affecting their mental health
Disabled households in the UK are being pushed into debt by spiralling living costs, research suggests. People who are disabled and the loved ones who care for them are at ‘breaking point’, and Government cost-of-living support will only offer temporary relief, according to the disability charity Sense.
Censuswide carried out polling for the charity of 1,006 people with disabilities and 1,002 family members caring for a disabled person between June 1 and 8. More than half (54%) of those polled said they are in debt, with more than a third (38%) skipping meals to save money.
Some 74% said they will be unable to cope if prices continue to rise, and 68% said the pressure is affecting their mental health.
The rising cost-of-living pressures come on top of the increased costs disabled people face in their daily lives, at the same time as being less likely to be able to work full-time or at all.
The Government has announced a series of measures to help the most vulnerable as the cost of living rises. This includes giving £150 ($182.72) to individuals receiving disability benefits, worth a total of £0.9 billion ($1.10 billion), to be paid by September.
Disabled people receiving benefits who are on the lowest incomes will receive an additional payment of £650 ($791.79). But four out of five people surveyed for the charity said they do not believe the measures go far enough.
Richard Kramer, Sense chief executive, said: Everyone is affected by rising prices, but disabled households are one of the hardest hit because of their circumstance. Many are in poverty, less likely to be in full-time work and facing additional costs for essential goods and services, like charging the wheelchair or running the oxygen machine.
A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions said: We know that living with a long-term illness or disability can impact on living costs, which is why financial support is available to those with disabilities or caring responsibilities and we urge people to check they are getting all the help to which they are entitled.