MORE than half of disabled households in Britain have been pushed into debt amid the cost-of-living crisis, the charity Sense says. 

Over a third of these households — 38 per cent — say they are skipping meals to save money, while 64 per cent reported having to make difficult choices including choosing between eating or heating, according to a poll of 2,008 carers and people with disabilities. 

Sense, which supports people who have complex disabilities, said its research reveals the “desperate everyday reality” for them as the cost of living soars; government support packages will only offer temporary relief for struggling households, it added. 

The cost of living for people with disabilities and their families is £500 a month more on average due to costs such as medical and mobility equipment, as well as heating and fuel, according to research by Scope, another disability charity. 

Sense says that as a result, disabled people and their families are among those hardest hit by rising prices, with its research showing that 54 per cent have been pushed into debt. 

They include Bristol resident Nick Flaherty and his daughter Rhia, 13, who suffers from a life-limiting metabolic condition and is also registered as deaf and blind. 

Caring for Rhia was already costly before the crisis due to high energy bills from the ventilator and nebuliser she uses, as well as needing to run several washes a day as she is double incontinent, he said. 

“This is just going to push us further into debt,” Mr Flaherty said. “We were already under water, now we’re drowning.  

“We have the same level of support now that we had when Rhia was three, so our support has been slashed in real terms over the last decade.”

Mr Flaherty said the £150 the government has offered to disabled households to alleviate the pressure of rising costs is tiny compared with the huge energy bills he faces. 

Nakita Triguero, also from Bristol, says she’s been forced to work longer hours to cope with the rising costs to care for her son Nayan, 11, who has a learning disability and limited speech. 

“It’s hard: any free minute I had is now either taken up by working or caring for Nayan,” she said. “And the extra work doesn’t mean we’re better off financially: we’re just back to where we were last year.”

Sense is calling on ministers to do more by widening the eligibility for the Warm Home Discount and for benefits to be urgently increased in line with inflation. 

Chief executive Richard Kramer said: “The costs disabled people and families face are not luxuries that can be cut, and ‘improved household budgeting’ will not solve the problem. Disabled people and carers need long-term financial support.”

Disabled People Against Cuts founder Linda Burnip warned that social security payments must be urgently increased to prevent a growing catastrophe. 

“Disabled people have already been forced to cut and cut their spending since the Tories came to power in 2010, and there is nothing left for many to cut even further,” she told the Star. 

“If the French government can cap fuel rises at 4 per cent, then there is no reason we can’t too.”

A DWP spokesperson said: “We know that living with a long-term illness or disability can impact on living costs, which is why financial support is available to those with disabilities or caring responsibilities and we urge people to check they are getting all the help to which they are entitled.

“Eight million low income households will get at least £1,200 of direct payments this year, with a £150 top-up payment for disabled people.

“And we are also helping more disabled jobseekers to find, retain and progress in fulfilling work, offering specialist programmes such as Access To Work, paired with personal support from our Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers.”