Grants keep finance advice team running
A service designed to ease financial stress for people with Huntington’s disease (HD), has been given a £340,000 boost.
Scottish Huntington’s Association (SHA) has secured the cash to run its financial wellbeing service for another three years.
The financial team advises individuals and families living with HD on benefits and guides them through personal and family financial planning.
Over the past four years they have helped families secure a total of £2.5 million in extra income or more than £2500 per family every year.
The SHA held its carers conference in Stirling this year.
Chief executive John Eden said: “The debilitating nature of HD means that people’s working lives are cut short, leaving them relying on a variety of benefits.
“This means, as well as having a lifeshortening condition, 67 per cent of families affected by HD also exist on income below the national average and 33 per cent live below the poverty line.
“This service is proving vital in helping families in the Stirling area take the stress out of trying to negotiate the benefits system and get people what they are entitled to.”
HD symptoms typically begin to develop between the ages of 30 and 50. It causes a type of early-onset dementia, loss of muscle control and involuntary movements which lead to loss of speech and swallow along with mental illness.
Sufferers may eventually lose the ability to walk, talk, eat, drink or make decisions and will eventually need 24-hour care. There is no cure.
It is estimated there are around 1100 people living with HD in Scotland and up to 6000 potentially at risk.
More information is available at hdscotland.org.