Tag: 2014

33 the most frugal existence

Posted on
He suffered
countless attacks
throughout his life;
he would fall
like a tree
to the ground.
He suffered
from meningitis
at five months old.
It left him brain damaged;
severe epilepsy.
He had his first attack when he was six.
Despite heavy medication
he was taken to hospital regularly.
He worked until he was 30,
but his condition was so severe
he had to leave.
He did not know when a fit would come.
Completely random.
He never went ten days without one.
He had suffered
a broken nose
cheekbone
jaw.
He had lost his front teeth.
He had split his head open
after hitting the pavement
during attacks.
He received a letter in March.
He had to attend a
‘work related activity group’
or his benefits could be cut.
He appealed:
‘I have never
been able to work
due to my epilepsy.
I had a job
but I lost my job
because they could no longer cope
with my attacks.’
The next letter, in June, informed him
his appeal had been rejected.
His family struggled to gain
detailed medical records
of his hospital visits
to make a second appeal.
He was given a month to get the information.
He became more and more worried.
On the day
his parents went round
for him to sign the appeal letter.
He had saved up enough to buy his own home.
His family helped him
make it safe,
a specially made bed, cushions
scattered to break any falls,
child-safe furniture.
With the help of benefits
he lived an independent life.
The door was open.
The curtains were closed.
He had been alone for 19 years.
He did not drink, smoke,
had the most frugal existence.
He did gardening,
wood work,
love bird watching, photography,
walking.
His parents went into the house
and found him
hanging in his bedroom.

[Daily Mirror, 23/09/2014, Man with brain damage and ‘uncontrolled’ epilepsy hanged himself when DWP threatened to cut benefits]

36 she was. she had

Posted on
She was volunteering.
She had a good social network.
She was getting married.
She was notified by letter:
she had scored zero points in her assesment
on the ninth of December.
A welfare rights officer informed her
her benefits would be reduced.
She became upset. She did not know how
she was going to pay her mortgage.
She took an overdose on New Year’s Eve.

[BBC News, 26/03/2014, Benefits assessment led to woman’s suicide says watchdog]

38 a beautiful sense of humour

Posted on
A government scientist,
he gave up this role
when he was diagnosed
with severe cardiomyopathy,
failure of the heart muscle.
By the end
he could not walk,
struggled to read.
He often fell over,
on one occasion
smashing his teeth.
Doctors gave him
a year and a half to live.
They were urging him
to have a heart transplant
to prolong his life.
He loved cricket
cooking, had
a beautiful sense of humour;
a classically trained musician,
he loved Beethoven.
He wouldn’t have the transplant.
He had no commitments,
thought it would be better
if there was a heart
for it to go
to somebody else.
He developed a brain tumour.
A government contractor
gave him a fitness-to-work test.
Three months later
his support was stopped.
He initially challenged the decision
but the appeal was withdrawn;
he felt too ill
to fight.
He couldn’t play the piano
he was so ill.
His mother passed away.
Seven months later
he fell at home
and never regained consciousness.

[Daily Mirror, 10/04/2014, Atos judges dying scientist fit to work – despite serious heart condition and brain tumour]

55 not compatible

Posted on
After a half-hour interview at his home
he was assessed as capable to return to work.
 
He was very distressed.
(Rising rent arrears,
warnings from the electricity company.)
He was reluctant to ask relatives for help;
they were unaware his benefits had been removed.
Concerned about his patient’s condition,
his doctor wrote a letter
in support of his application:
‘extremely unwell
and absolutely unfit
for any work
whatsoever.
Please do not stop
or reduce his benefits.
He simply is not well enough to cope
with this extra stress.
His mental and medical condition
is extremely serious.’
It is not clear whether the letter
reached the Jobcentre.
He was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome
and obsessive compulsive disorder
in his late 20s.
He had an eating disorder
and cognitive behavioural problems.
He was sacked from his first job
because he was unable to follow instructions.
The Department’s assessment concluded
his mental state
was normal.
This triggered a decision
by the jobcentre
to stop his sickness benefits.
His housing benefits were stopped around the same time.
He was not told.
He struggled to survive
on his disability allowance.
Forty pounds a week
to live on.
His sister said
‘He would have wanted to be seen as normal.
He was desperate to get by
as normal.’
A body mass index
of between eighteen point five
and twenty-four point nine
is considered healthy
for a man.
Between April and August his
dropped
from fourteen point one
to eleven point five;
he weighed five stone eight pounds
(thirty-five kilos)
when he died.
The doctor told the inquest
his body mass index
was not compatible
with life.

The Guardian, 28/02/2014, Vulnerable man starved to death after benefits were cut]