The tragic double suicide of a British couple after the death of their disabled son has sparked a passionate national discussion about the availability of supports for the more than six million people in the UK who provide informal or unpaid care for relatives and friends.

Neil and Kazumi Puttick had given up their jobs to care for their five-year-old son Sam, who had been paralyzed in a car accident four years ago. The family had reportedly been coping well until Sam contracted pneumococcal meningitis and died unexpectedly.

Less than 48 hours after his death, the couple drove 140 miles to the southwest coast of England and leaped off the cliffs at Beachy Head, holding Sam’s body in one backpack and his toys in another.

According to experts, a devastating combination of grief, the sudden loss of identity, and the isolation caused by the withdrawal of health and social services after the person dies or moves into a home, can leave carers particularly vulnerable to an emotional breakdown and ill-health.

News coverage has been extensive. Following is a sampling.

Love stories: Britain’s army of carers — [UK] Independent

Three out of four unpaid carers have reached the breaking point — [Glasgow] Herald

Death leap pair ‘loving parents’ — BBC

Beachy head suicide couple turn away friends in final hours — [UK] Independent

The smile his parents could not live without — [UK] Daily Mail

The Japanese tradition behind the family suicide — [UK] Telegraph

Bound by love, united in death — Brisbane [Australia] Times

This will put us over the edge on assisted suicide — Dominic Lawson in the [UK] Times

Having a special needs child means life is harder, but it is also much richer — [UK] Sun

Yes, you can survive the death of a child — [UK] Telegraph

(Kazumi, Sam and Neil Puttick, photo from [UK] Independent)

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 10th, 2009 at 6:43 am and is filed under assisted suicide, caregivers, families, NOT2BEMISSED, paralysis, parents. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.