The ‘cost of dying’ crisis
ALTHOUGH we are all feeling the effects of energy price hikes and the rising cost of petrol, the cost of living crisis is having a devastating impact on people with a terminal illness and their families.
Marie Curie has recently published research which shows the shocking scale of poverty at the end of life in Wales. More than 6,000 people die in poverty each year. Almost one in three people of working age and one in five pensioners will spend their final months below the poverty line. Alarmingly, people in Wales are more likely to reach the end of their life in poverty than in any other nation of the UK.
Receiving a terminal diagnosis brings additional financial burdens, particularly for people of working age. They are often forced to give up work as their health declines, while their partners reduce their hours to take on caring responsibilities. As incomes fall, extra inescapable costs creep in all the time. This includes petrol and parking charges for regular hospital appointments, vital home adaptations, and money on gas and electric to stay warm and comfortable in those final months. With costs spiralling, this is creating a perfect storm of misery and financial hardship for dying people.
Nurses tell us they are now taking warm blankets, hot-water bottles and flasks of tea with them when they provide overnight care in people’s homes, because it’s too expensive to keep the heating on or boil the kettle. Families stay up with them through the night, unable to sleep because they are so worried about how they will make ends meet. The situation is particularly bad for working-age people with children, who the research shows are most at risk of falling into poverty at the end of life. When they should be spending quality time making final memories together, they are instead focused on how they will find the money to pay the bills.
This is the heartbreaking reality for thousands of people across Wales. But it doesn’t have to be this way. These findings should act as a catalyst to conversations about the changes needed to ensure that people don’t fall into poverty at the end of life.
Marie Curie has launched a petition which calls on government to provide greater support. In Wales, for example, there are opportunities to provide additional help with energy bills and childcare costs that could make a massive difference to some of the most vulnerable people in our society. There is also an urgent need for the UK Government to address the problems in the working-age benefits system, which is not providing an effective safety net for people if they become terminally ill. No-one should spend the end of their life in poverty. We must recognise this cost of dying crisis now, so we can begin to find solutions before another cold winter ahead.
The research report and petition can be found at www.mariecurie.org. uk/policy/poverty