A WOMAN has been forced to share a bed with her mum because she can’t afford to pay her bills.
Lorraine Foster, 57, is a full time carer for her mum Sylvia, 86, who suffered a stroke in 2019.
Lorraine often has less than £1 per week spare after her energy bills doubled this year and the pair can only afford to share a bed.
As well as Sylvia’s stroke, Lorraine is disabled due to a car crash in 2012 and is still receiving chemotherapy for lung cancer , while both women have Type 2 diabetes .
Lorraine survives on Personal Independence Payment and Employment Support Allowance, which provide her about £1,100 per month between them.
She said: “I’m not left with much. I haven’t bought myself any clothes for up to three years. I’m wearing what I had: pyjamas covered in holes...I’m 57.
“I’m quite bubbly. I try to keep positive. But you want to cry with the struggles now. I can’t believe how we’re still suffering.”;
She added that she used to spend about £10 each on electricity and gas for a week, but that has now rocketed to £30 each as the cost of living crisis bites.
According to Lorraine, Sylvia “feels the cold”; badly and so they have to keep the house heated, and accept the huge bills that come with that.
She continued: “I’m trying to look after me, as well as mum. My only escape is connecting to other people through online groups and art classes. I don’t know what I will do if I can’t afford the internet.
“Mum and I share a bed, so when it broke I had to borrow money to buy a new one. It’s not unusual for me to have less than £1 to my name by the end of the week. I’m not ready for the prices to rise. How am I going to pay the bills?”;
Lorraine also had a message for new PM Rishi Sunak : “You need to swap places. Live as a carer for a week or two, to see what it’s like for real people...[They] don’t realise how bad it is.”;
The long-suffering carer is terrified at the prospect of benefits not being increased in line with inflation in next week’s Autumn Budget .
Support for those struggling include direct support with bills from the government for people on low-incomes as well as various independent charities and food banks .
You can find information about your nearest food bank on The Trussell Trust’s website , while information on other support can be found by searching “cost of living support”; online.
