The research by Loughborough University for end-of-life charity Marie Curie said that more than 111,000 people died in poverty last year — up from 93,000 in 2019, an increase of almost one-fifth.
It also estimated that about 128,000 people died in fuel poverty in 2022 including 110,000 pensioners. Fuel poverty is defined as having inadequate income to heat a home to a reasonable temperature.
The research covered a period when all pensioners received the government’s Fuel Poverty Allowance, which will be paid only to the poorest pensioners this winter.
Marie Curie said that as an assisted dying Bill is being considered in Parliament, the government should “ensure no-one would feel any pressure to choose an assisted death simply because they cannot afford the bare essentials of a decent standard of living.”
Dr Juliet Stone, of the centre for research in social policy at Loughborough University, said: “The sharp rise in poverty at the end of life reflects the increasingly difficult financial circumstances faced by low-income households over the past four years.
“It is clear that poverty at the end of life cannot be fully tackled without efforts to address poverty more generally, but people in the last year of life face additional obstacles to achieving an adequate standard of living.”
National Pensioners’ Convention general secretary Jan Shortt said: “In the 21st century, in the sixth richest economy in the world, no one should die in poverty, and particularly not those at the end of their life struggling to come to terms with costs associated with their terminal illnesses.
“There is no viable reason why those who have paid into their state pension when working, should not have some access to payments and other benefits that will enable them to reach the end of life stage in comfort and without the worry of leaving family members in debt.
“The government should be listening intently and acting swiftly. ”Marie Curie is calling on the government to introduce benefits and lower energy bills for people facing last-year-of-life. The government has been contacted for comment. (Morning Star — IPA Service)
THOUSANDS MORE PEOPLE DYING IN POVERTY IN BRITAIN, RESEARCH REVEALS
LOW INCOME HOUSEHOLDS SUFFER FROM FUEL CRISIS AND HEALTH CARE COSTS
Peter Lazenby - 12-11-2024 10:37 GMT-0000
LONDON: Thousands more people are dying in poverty in Britain, including fuel poverty, shocking new research has revealed. Victims include people suffering end-of-life illnesses who are suffering the highest increases in poverty and cannot afford to heat their homes.