Parkinson’s UK appeals to Government to help those with the disease who are struggling as a result of the cost of living crisis
The NHS website defines Parkinson’s disease as ‘a condition in which parts of the brain become progressively damaged over many years.’ Those affected tend to suffer from balance problems, and memory problems, amongst a wide range of other physical and psychological symptoms. Parkinson’s UK is now urging the Government to increase support for people with Parkinson’s, as it outlines how those suffering with the disease are being further impacted by the cost of living crisis.
Transcript
00:00 We'd like to talk about our recent or current report, still nowhere near enough, which sets
00:09 out shocking insights about how people with Parkinson's have been affected by the cost
00:14 of living crisis. So, for example, of the over 3,000 people that we surveyed, a quarter
00:21 said they were struggling with the cost of living, and of those, almost eight out of
00:27 ten said that they were less likely to turn their heating on.
00:32 The NHS website defines Parkinson's disease as a condition in which parts of the brain
00:37 become progressively damaged over many years. Those affected tend to suffer from balance
00:42 problems and memory problems, amongst a wide range of other physical and psychological
00:47 symptoms. Parkinson's UK is now urging the government to increase support for people
00:52 with Parkinson's, as it outlines how those suffering with the disease are being further
00:56 impacted by the cost of living crisis.
00:59 Six one in four are having fewer meals in order to save money, and almost half say that
01:06 their symptoms, both their mental health symptoms and their physical health symptoms, are being
01:12 affected by their financial situation.
01:15 Key findings from Parkinson's UK found that 22% of helpline inquiries in 2023 were related
01:22 to benefits and income maximisation, and online inquiries into money, grants and benefits
01:28 information pages increased by 59% from 2021 to 2023. As a result, Parkinson's UK is appealing
01:35 to the Chancellor to take action in rolling out things from warm home prescriptions to
01:40 fixing personal independence payments.
01:44 Also, we found as a result of our research that many people with Parkinson's are not
01:50 getting the benefits that they need. So, for example, we did an analysis of DWP stats,
01:57 and that analysis showed that people with Parkinson's are 10% on average more likely
02:05 to have an incorrect PIC decision made when they first make their application. There's
02:11 a particular Parkinson's penalty of on average 10%. We also know that the people who come
02:18 to us with support with their PIP applications, and when they do come to us, in almost 100%
02:25 of cases, their PIP is either increased or they get awarded PIP where they hadn't been
02:32 previously. The thing is with Parkinson's is that it is a highly complex condition,
02:38 and I'm not sure that the DWP, the DWP staff who need to know about the condition in order
02:44 to make accurate assessments, have as much knowledge about the condition and how it affects
02:49 people as they need to. But you're right, to be pushed into avoidable poverty does also
02:56 have a compounding negative effect on mental health.
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