I can’t even afford to charge my wheelchair. So how are people like me expected to afford the energy price rise? | Thirugnanam Sureshan

I’m already rationing heating and my use of mobility aids. But it feels like the government forgets the extra costs disabled people face

I had hope for this government. That has all gone now. I expected better, but with the rise in energy bills by 10% it is looking as if this year is going to be worse than the last.

I am a disabled man with multiple health conditions: retinal disease, ischemic heart disease and type 2 diabetes, as well as being an amputee as a result of Charcot foot. With those conditions comes a wide range of needs and equipment requirements. But, of course, a lot of that electrical equipment is expensive to run.

With the rise in energy bills in recent years, and the cost of everything else going up too, I’ve had to ration the charging of my wheelchair, my Cpap (continuous positive airway pressure) mask (for my sleep apnoea) and my electric hoist. The consequence of this is that I find myself at home a lot more than I would like.

I used to volunteer in my community as an NHS health ambassador – it was something that I loved to do. I would go out and speak to people and take down statements about their care and what they thought about their local hospital and GP. But I’ve had to stop as I just can’t afford to use the battery required for my wheelchair. It has left me depressed.

Because of our extra needs, when energy bills go up disabled people are hit hardest. But it feels as if all those additional costs are just forgotten by the government. Why can’t we be considered? I need to be able to charge my wheelchair so I can go out; and to keep my fridge on for lifesaving medicines that won’t work unless they are kept cold. That shouldn’t be too much to ask for. But disability benefits never cover all these new costs.

The problem for the government – and it’s something that it never appears to take into account – is that spending less on us is bad financial sense in the long run. Refusing to cap energy bills so that more money can, say, be spent on the NHS doesn’t make sense. Making my life more difficult will only exacerbate my health conditions; this will mean that I’ll need more healthcare.

It isn’t just energy that is the problem. My water bill is set to rise, council tax in my area too, and the price of food seems to always increase. There has also been a medicine shortage. Five months ago, my chemist ran out of some of my drugs, which means that I have to make up the correct dose by taking fewer milligrams of each drug but from different companies and chemists.

I didn’t used to think so much about cutting expenses. Today I’m sitting at home in the dark because I can’t even afford to put the lights on. I don’t watch television in the day either, and I turn it off at the mains plug just to be safe. The cold is hard too. Even in summer, I have to use a blanket on cooler days to stop my legs getting cold because it can worsen the pain in my legs.

I am really nervous about this winter. I don’t have gas and so used two electric heaters last winter, but I have to be really careful about how long I run them for. Last year, the disability equality charity Scope gave me £200 towards the cost of my heating and Citizens Advice gave me £100. This winter, I don’t anticipate getting any government help to cover the cost of my energy. It really isn’t an easy life.

Thirugnanam Sureshan is a disability campaigner from East Sussex

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

Continue reading…

Please follow and like us: