Sight loss podcast to shine light on cost of living financial help
A national sight loss charity will make benefits and financial support one of its top talking points heading further into 2024. The cost of living crisis continues to bite in the new year, as people with sight loss face increased expenses to help them in their everyday lives.
The Macular Society, which supports people living with macular disease, the biggest cause of sight loss in the UK, will be shining a light on the support available as part of its My Macular and Me podcast. The Society will launch its mini series Bitesize Benefits in 2024 to focus on the benefits available to people living with sight loss, how they help and the process involved to make a claim.
The first three episodes will focus on Personal Independence Payment (PIP). New episodes will be rolled out over the first few months of the year, with the first being released on Thursday 18 January.
Nearly 1.5 million people are currently affected by macular disease and many more are at risk. The disease can have a devastating effect on people’s lives, leaving them unable to drive, read or see faces. Many people affected describe losing their sight as being similar to bereavement. There is still no cure and most types of the disease are not treatable. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common form of macular disease, affecting more than 600,000 people, usually over the age of 50.
The Bitesize Benefits episodes will be co-hosted by Macular Society interim director of services, Emma Malcolm, as well as Working Age and Young People’s Service manager, Colin Daniels.
Colin Daniels., Working Age and Young People’s Service manager“Understanding which benefits and financial support are available to people with sight loss can be a minefield, so we will be tackling that and breaking down what people may be entitled to. We’ll look into the perceived barriers in terms of the application process, exploring how to apply for the different benefits available, the application, as well as assessment and how a decision is made. There are many additional costs involved for people living with sight loss, such as extra taxi or other transport fares and increased lighting bills at home, but there are benefits to help and we can show you how.”
The Macular Society’s My Macular and Me podcast episodes can be listened to here. The podcast can also be found on all popular podcasting platforms including: Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
Join our mailing list
If you would like to receive regular news and updates about our work, then you can sign up to our mailing list.