Disabled people at high risk in Dumfries and Galloway due to cost of living crisis

Disabled people in Dumfries and Galloway could die because they cannot afford the electricity to power their vital medical equipment, a councillor warned this week.
Councillor Willie Scobie raised his serious concerns at a social work meeting on Tuesday, and the region’s social work chief admitted she was “acutely aware” of the severe impact the cost-of-living crisis is having on people with disabilities.
Home-based medical equipment can be extremely energy-intensive, mobility scooters need charging, and stairlifts require lots of electricity.
This summer, English journalist, author and disabled rights campaigner Dr Frances Ryan, herself living with a disability, insisted that the cost of living crisis is “going to be a matter of survival for some disabled people”.
Speaking at the council’s social work committee on Tuesday, Stranraer and the Rhins Councillor Willie Scobie said: “I heard on the radio that people with disability may not be able to put on their medical equipment that keeps them alive – because of the cost of living.
“They will not be able to switch it on because they can’t afford the electricity. They could die.
“Have we got the resources and capacity to deal with such issues? One with getting the child poverty figures down, and the other one with people who will not have the ability to put on the energy to keep their machines going to keep them alive?”
Chief social work officer Lillian Cringles told Councillor Scobie replied that “it’s a real challenge for us moving ahead.”
She continued: “In terms of the challenges around citizens who have disabilities and the choices moving forward, we’re acutely aware of the impact, particularly around some of our elderly and adult services.
“The element for me is that we will need to make sure that we keep as close an eye as possible on those services users.
“But ultimately we don’t have any funds where we can help to pay the electricity for example, however we need to make sure that all their benefits are maximised and we look at any way we can offer support in terms or charitable applications or through social funds.
“The element that I have a growing concern around is that we have more referrals from citizens and families in particular that have never asked for help before.
“I do worry that there will be citizens out there who haven’t asked for help and don’t know where to go for it.
“That’s where a wider campaign of making sure that folks know where the services are and their availability will be really important over the coming months.”