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To: Penny Mordaunt
Reduce PIP stress for Rheumatoid Arthritis sufferers
I call for people with Rheumatoid Arthritis to be treated equally to people who have a terminal illness when applying for PIP. Rheumatoid Arthritis is currently an incurable and life long illness.
"If you have a terminal illness and you’re aged 16 to 64, you should get Personal Independence Payment (PIP). There’s less form filling and the DWP will fast-track your application so you won’t have to go to a face to face assessment and you should get your first payment within 2 weeks of applying." The stress and anxiety of applying for these benefits and face to face assessments increase the risk of flares and periods of illness caused by the stress system and immune system being affected. People with RA are being made physically unwell in this benefit process.
Please join me in make this change happen to improve the benefits claim process and enable RA patients the reduced stress of feeling they need to justify their condition when applying for financial support.
"If you have a terminal illness and you’re aged 16 to 64, you should get Personal Independence Payment (PIP). There’s less form filling and the DWP will fast-track your application so you won’t have to go to a face to face assessment and you should get your first payment within 2 weeks of applying." The stress and anxiety of applying for these benefits and face to face assessments increase the risk of flares and periods of illness caused by the stress system and immune system being affected. People with RA are being made physically unwell in this benefit process.
Please join me in make this change happen to improve the benefits claim process and enable RA patients the reduced stress of feeling they need to justify their condition when applying for financial support.
Why is this important?
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory disease. It largely affects synovial joints, which are lined with a specialised tissue called synovium. RA typically affects the small joints of the hands and the feet, and usually both sides equally and symmetrically, although any synovial joint can be affected. It is a systemic disease and so can affect the whole body, including the heart, lungs and eyes.Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a disease of ups and downs. One day, your joints feel pretty good. The next your joints are swollen and in pain and you can barely get out of bed. These symptom episodes – called flares – can be unpredictable and debilitating. Flares come in two varieties, Predictable” flares have a known trigger. For example, you decide to clean your house from top to bottom one day, overdo it and end up with swollen, stiff joints the next day. Overexertion, poor sleep, stress or an infection like the flu can all set off RA symptoms.
Blood samples are used to measure levels of the stress hormone cortisol as well as inflammatory cytokines -- including TNF-alpha and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) -- believed to play a key role in RA severity. Test have shown that patients who have a tendency for more worrying are reported to have slightly more disease activity, more swollen joints and more pain after during and after a stressful event. Approximately one third of people stop work because of the disease within 2 years of onset, and this prevalence increases thereafter.While RA isn’t fatal, complications can shorten your lifespan by roughly 10 years. However, it’s important to note that disease progression varies greatly from person to person. People who test positive for RF and anti-CCPs tend to progress at a faster rate. Improvements need to be put in place to assist people living with Rheumatoid Arthritis to not have to have stress factors increased which can then in turn exasperated their immune system to raise inflammation and cause further damage and incapacity.
Blood samples are used to measure levels of the stress hormone cortisol as well as inflammatory cytokines -- including TNF-alpha and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) -- believed to play a key role in RA severity. Test have shown that patients who have a tendency for more worrying are reported to have slightly more disease activity, more swollen joints and more pain after during and after a stressful event. Approximately one third of people stop work because of the disease within 2 years of onset, and this prevalence increases thereafter.While RA isn’t fatal, complications can shorten your lifespan by roughly 10 years. However, it’s important to note that disease progression varies greatly from person to person. People who test positive for RF and anti-CCPs tend to progress at a faster rate. Improvements need to be put in place to assist people living with Rheumatoid Arthritis to not have to have stress factors increased which can then in turn exasperated their immune system to raise inflammation and cause further damage and incapacity.
