ONE in five families affected by disability say they will not celebrate Christmas this year, due to the cost-of-living crisis.
New research by the national disability charity Sense reveals the unprecedented pressure on disabled households.
Sixty percent of the 1,000 families surveyed said they were unable to afford to keep their home adequately warm.
Half of families admitted to being in debt, and more than a third skipped meals to try and make ends meet.
The situation has become so bad that more than a quarter (28 per cent) of families say they have considered putting their loved-one into care.
Last month, the Government announced further one-off payments to help with rising costs, as well as a commitment to increase benefits in-line with inflation.
However, the increase will not come into effect until April, leaving millions of disabled households struggling to afford food and energy this winter.
Sense is calling for more targeted support for disabled people, with the introduction of a new social energy tariff to lower the cost of energy bills for disabled households who face higher energy usage because of their individual needs.
Richard Kramer, the charity’s chief executive, said: “When families are struggling to keep their homes adequately warm, we shouldn’t be surprised that many are cancelling Christmas plans.
“Everyone has been affected by the rising costs, but disabled households were under pressure even before this crisis, and now many don’t know how they’ll get through winter.
“The introduction of the Energy Price Guarantee prevented bills rising to disastrous levels, however, it is not designed to recognise that some disabled households will need to use more energy than the average household.
“We want to see the establishment of an Energy Social Tariff, which offers a discounted rate for disabled people who need to use more energy.
“Targeted support is something we urgently need, so that disabled households are able to heat their homes and enjoy the festive period.”
