Man refused benefits dies of starvation

[2old2beamum]

A 44 year od man with mental health issues, aspergers and OCD deemed capable of work has benefits reduced to £40/week dies and has a BMI of just over 11. I weep with shame.

Yes, he had family.
That's how a lot of the world gets by, entirely on the support of their family. No family support, no other safety network and that's you stuffed.
I still remember explaining to my class of entirely Bengali and Pakistani children, mostly second and first generation immigrants, what a retirement home was, what an old folk's home was and why we had them.
They found it incomprehensible, it was the topic of conversation for weeks.

aufaniae if this was a family member of mine... I'd have kept an eye on him!

Perhaps members of his family were working trying to hold down jobs in a climate where a lot of employers are looking for any excuse to get rid of employees.

He didn't fall through the cracks. The cracks were opened up under him and he was brushed through them.

Why should he have needed someone advocating for him? He already did what he was supposed to do and applied for ESA and underwent a "medical" interview.

The new-style interviews have been criticised for several years now for failing people with mental illnesses. It's not like the DWP don't know.

This is an awful case and shows that extra considerations need to be made for those with MH issues. It seems as though the GP letter may not have been passed on and letters left unopened that, if dealt with, may have changed the outcome.

I am amazed though that his family were not involved enough in his life to see causes for concern. His sister says in that article that they worked for years to find a place for him to live safely which implies close involvement and yet they did not see any danger signs when there was 4 months between the cut in benefits and his death.

This shows exactly how much this government cares about how their cuts affect the most vulnerable:

Shameful

Read about this last night, it's so sad. My brother has Aspergers and if someone tells hom something, he takes their word as gospel. He thinks in very black and white terms and takes things literaly.This poor man obviously didn't believe he could contest the decisions made about his entitlement.

It doesn't seem that he starved to death because he couldn't afford food after his benefit was cut. In fact the benefit cut would seem to be a red herring. He had a number of mental health issues, including an eating disorder.

I find it hard to imagine a system so comprehensive that someone Ill enough that they are failing to engage, open letters, share info etc wouldn't need an advocate to speak up for them and make sure they access the right services etc.

Maryz, that sounds very stressful.

Stockhausen that is a shockingly insensitive thing to say, how dare you.

These are real people, who may read this thread. Implying blame to a grieving family is abhorrent.

"the benefit cut would seem to be a red herring"

My comment was in response to your post, saying if it was one of your only, you'd be baying for blood, at a Top government level.

HermioneWeasley so the government cut his money, so he has no money for food but they have no responsibility for him dying? How do you work that one out?

darkesteyes totally agree
re the recent tv progam Benefits street, a young girl (early 20s at work) was glued to it
I said there had been lots of complaints about it
she said she could understand that as the people on it were shocking, claiming all these benefits when they could be working
she completely couldn't understand when i said people had complained because the program portrayed the residents as scroungers, and were exploiting them for carcrash tv. She just didn't get it at all.

It's something that a lot of posters face, with our vulnerable young adults and the adults they will become.
How do you make someone do what they ought to?
How do you make a man of 44 do things he doesn't see as necessary? That involve you putting continuous, relentless effort in for days and months and years? They thought he had a roof over his head and enough money to buy food and pay bills. They thought that's what they had won for him. Then, without them knowing, it was taken away.
There are endless posters on MN that can't get their partners to wash up or cook, or talk to them politely. Get their teenagers to be reasonable.
It's a bit harder than that, to manage the needs of a vulnerable adult.

I don't think you can have any idea of how hard it is for the family unless you live it.

For example my brother will stay up for days in a row and touch hardly any food. This is while living with family who are there serving him meals etc. It is so difficult to get help for adults.

He had an eating disorder and an aversion to food... for all we know, he could have been a millionaire and still died?

This to me, was a failing by social services and the medical community

Because he had an eating disorder and may have been underweight for some time?

My aunt has been caring for my uncle who had a stroke and was left brain damaged in 2006.
It has worn her out so much that she has now been in hospital for weeks which means he has had to be taken into hospital too.

awful tale, but sounds to me like he had an eating disorder???

no fan of benefits cuts but maybe there were more complex underlying issues??

'I agree there's more behind his death, his bmi was 14 before his benefits stopped?

This was a catalogue of neglect (much of it self imposed, albeit due to mental health issues) and a case of someone falling through the cracks.

Stockhausen - how can 'neglect' be ''self-imposed?' Don't be ridiculous.

The system cannot be built relying on families. We do not all have families. If we do, they may be far away, not capable, have needs themselves, etc. It is also very, very hard to support an adult who does not want, need, or realise they need support. I think those that dare judge the family are very cruel.

YY caterpillar You often find that ppl who say the family should be able to do it are the same ppl who say that ppl should move away from their families and communities to find work

Nobody but the poor man knows what went on, but if he was seeing his doctor, he might have been trying to deal with his eating problems. Living off of £40 a week wouldn't help anyone with an eating problem.