Benefit cuts will cost the economy.

I was genuinely curious.

Prob due to severe, arthritis, dexterity, with conditions like Parkinson’s, severe tremors, lack of strength, or maybe only one hand.
Please enlighten yourself, this poor person, will be very limited on choices, and prob doesn’t have a support system

You jest, mid stage Parkinson’s, I never know it will affect me day to day, 62, yes I get pip, under new review hardly get anything ( I don’t claim UC, as I have some money).
I obviously can’t work, luckily no review until 2032, I got 10 yrs till review unless they don’t change things.
Realistically we need better funded childcare, to help the working population, who currently struggle

We all fell for that blatant pot noodle detail didn’t we? 😂

I don’t think you should judge the whole country by the standards of your social circle.

I know very few people who have ever given up and plumped for the “free money” and the two I can think of who weren’t left with any choice were understandably terrified. Actually I don’t know anyone who has willingly chosen “free money” over work. People normally fight quite hard against being eased out of the workforce.

Ok, I see.

You mean the benefits system that ensures that people in poverty aren't able to afford healthy nutritious food? The one that you want to be cut even lower so they won't be able to afford food at all?

And yet you know that it's important to eat right, for everyone - the healthy and the disabled?

How's that logic working out for you?

In theory, we'd all have a perfect, healthy, nutritious diet.

But when you're disabled, particularly with chronic conditions, it gets a bit tricky (to say the least) to prioritise all the things that have to be prioritised.

For my own diet:

• can I make it myself?
• does it conflict with my diabetes
• does it conflict with weight loss goals
• does it conflict with Gastroparesis
• does it trigger IBS
• does it meet my ARFID safe foods?
• can I afford it

And that is just diet... because I also have to prioritise:

• managing my energy levels
• getting enough sleep
• managing meds
• earning a living
• managing a home - financially
• managing a home practically (keeping it clean and tidy and not falling apart)
• medical appointments
• managing on-going wound care
• prompting ND partner to do the things he must do
• managing my own personal care

You cannot put every one of those things at the top of the list. It is not possible to have everything as number 1 priority.

For a healthy, able bodied person, managing all that might be a breeze (though from posts on MN it seems it probably isn't). Add in doing all this on insufficient sleep, with physical disabillities or mental disabilites, or both, in significant amounts of pain and with a third the energy or less of a 'normal' person...

As I say, it gets a little tricky. Some shit slips, particularly when unexpected things happen (eg. Today I was woken at 10am, now it is lovely that the DN turned up so promptly, but it means I have had 3 hours less rest as I could not go back to bed afterwards. I feel ok now, but I can guarantee that I will be running on empty at 7pm when I have 3 hours of work left! and this will impact me for the next couple of days).

Also, in amongst all of that most people try to squeeze a bit of enjoyment out of life if they can... but that also takes up energy, time, mental and physical resources that are in short supply.

All benefits people get are put back into the economy because that money gets spent.

Of course it won't help anyone. I'm not arguing that. What I'm arguing is the relevance of someone's diet on their PIP claim.

If someone with chronic fatigue finds Pot Noodles the most affordable and easy to prepare...I'll let them do as they see fit safe in the knowledge that while potatoes and salad would undoubtedly be healthier...it won't cure their illness.

I agree, but eating a diet, poor in nutrition, is going to help nobody, disabled, or able bodied! It is bonkers to argue otherwise.

No, I don't think they are a cure.

I also don't think disability can be cured by eating a specific food group.

What an utterly ridiculous question.
Do you think pot noodles and coke are a cure 😂
Better nutrition is better physically and mentally - empty calories help no-one.
Appalling that posters think the disabled deserve only to eat rubbish, rather than educating them to be able to feed themselves better, and as I have pointed out if you have RTHT less effort and dexterity required.

So you think eating jacket potatoes cures chronic fatigue?

People can help themselves but don’t even try, because the benefits system encourages a dependency and helplessness culture.

It’s the same old thing; let’s pick on the least fortunate in society. I tell you how hard it is to get PIP: I know of someone with MS who didn’t qualify. What about those that are working 40 hours a week and still their wages don’t cover housing costs and basic needs. Private rents are ridiculously high. We need to support those in genuine need.

However, what needs looking at is fit young people who choose not to bother to work for whatever reason (laziness), made up illnesses (I can think of a few) and stop choosing benefits as a lifestyle choice. Not that it’s much of a lifestyle I’d guess. Nothing to do. Nothing to look forward to. No example to set to their own children. The cycle just goes on. They are the ones draining society

What’s the thought process here? People are deliberately feeding themselves poorly in order to become/stay disabled so they can claim benefits?

So? What’s the thought process here? People are deliberately feeding themselves poorly in order to become/stay disabled so they can claim benefits?

Liads of more nutritious stuff can be done in the microwave like the ubiquitous frozen or fresh baked potato and cheese/ etc And safer to use a microwave than to boil water for noodles and less dexterity needed than to unscrew a coke bottle (or especially to open a coke can, if you’ve tried recently)

Regarding other countries - France has better benefits that allow people to eg work half a month and the employer pays half salary -rest made up by the state -I know people there who benefit from the type of arrangement that gives people the opportunity/dignity to work as much as they are able, but support them to do that.
Yes the requirements are more stringent -you don’t get handed free money because you are ‘separated’ from your partner living in the same house, but those with illness who want to work are given support to do so.
Different cultural attitude here, where people don’t want to work if free money is handed out and expect the same standard of living as those who do work to the best of their capacity.

Yes that’s what he gets. He lives in a residential placement so his food/housing etc is covered. He gets to keep the mobility part of his PIP but that has to pay for his clothes, toiletries, travel, leisure activities etc. He’s at his happiest if he’s out daily so we buy his clothes and toiletries and pay for anything extra like he needed a new iPad last month.

Well she had no support so we were literally left to sink. The worse part is her needs being denied . Being told she can swim when she weighed down by rocks.

So yes she still may have been struggling as an adult. the idea that nothing would have helped so let's do nothing is barbaric. She had a right to an appropriate education she could access

Doesn't mean she can work full time. I went on an hour long bus ride the other day with my mobility aids. Then the same journey back a few hours later. I couldn't do a full working week. I have tried.

2 hours in a car is not a full working week. If she lived in the US, or another large country an hour long to work would be considered a short commute.

In LHA, yes. But in terms of temporary accommodation which is often insanely priced paid in full through housing benefit, landlords throughout the country are absolutely raking it in from Councils