A Co Antrim mum has opened up about the impact rising costs will have on disabled families this Christmas.
Josephine Armstrong from Ballyclare says her family's own Christmas celebrations are cancelled due to the financial pressures of looking after her daughter, who has mitochondrial disease.
It comes as 22% of families in the UK caring for a disabled family member say they will not celebrate Christmas this year, due to the cost of living crisis.
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That’s according to new research by the national disability charity, Sense, which reveals the unprecedented pressure on disabled households.
Josephine's six-year-old daughter Paige has mitochondrial disease, a rare genetic condition. Because of this, she is often in and out of hospital - trips her dad, Mark, accompanies her on, while mum stays at home and cares for her other children.
This affects the family’s income, as Mark does not get paid for the time he’s not working.
Josephine says the family is receiving support from charities that will mean her children have something to open on Christmas Day, but it will be very different to previous years.
Josephine said: “Usually, we would be with family over Christmas and have a huge dinner party, then we’d stay with my sister for extra Christmas festivities, but all that's been cancelled this year.
“Things have been tough,” continues Josephine. “We are currently sitting with no heating, so the house is freezing and we are living out of food banks. Listening to my daughters complaining how cold it is heart-breaking.”
Earlier this year, the family did receive a grant from Sense’s cost of living support fund, and this helped ease the pressure at the time. However, it’s not a long-term solution.
“We used the Sense grant to buy oil and that is the last time that we were able to,” Josephine says. “The Government aren’t doing enough. They need to do more to support disabled people – and families in general.”
Over 1,000 families caring for a disabled family member were surveyed by Sense, with 51% admitting to being in debt and 35% skipping meals to save money.
Meanwhile 61% of families said they were unable to afford to keep their home adequately warm while 68% admitted to being unsure how they’ll cope over the winter, so it will be little surprise that many are not looking forward to Christmas.
Over a third said they will not buy Christmas presents, and 22% will cancel celebrations altogether.
Last month, the Government announced further one-off payments to help with rising costs, as well as a commitment to increase benefits in-line with inflation.
However, the increase will not come into effect until April, leaving millions of disabled households struggling to afford food and energy this winter.
Disabled people face higher living and energy costs. More energy is used to run essential equipment, such as breathing machines and feeding pumps, whilst heating is vital for those who can’t regulate their own body temperature.
Sense is calling for more targeted support for disabled people, with the introduction of a new social tariff to lower the cost of energy bills for disabled households who face higher energy usage because of their individual needs.
Richard Kramer, Sense Chief Executive, said: “When families are struggling to keep their homes adequately warm, we shouldn’t be surprised that many are cancelling Christmas plans.
“Everyone has been affected by the rising costs, but disabled households were under pressure even before this crisis, and now many don’t know how they’ll get through winter. The introduction of the Energy Price Guarantee prevented bills rising to disastrous levels, however, it is not designed to recognise that some disabled households will need to use more energy than the average household.
“We want to see the establishment of a social tariff for energy, which offers a discounted rate for disabled people who need to use more energy. Targeted support is something we urgently need, so that disabled households are able to heat their homes and enjoy the festive period.”
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