I’m not really sure of the significance of these awareness days. Perhaps they’ve been added to the calendar to give us all an opportunity to have a laugh and forget about all the awful things that are happening in the world.
However, it is possible to combine silliness with raising awareness of an important cause. I’m thinking ‘Movember’. In November males up and down the country grow moustaches to highlight men’s health issues; in particular prostate and testicular cancer.
Seeing normally clean-shaven colleagues sporting taches of all shapes and sizes gives me a good laugh and more importantly makes me think about the issues.
So, with Movember only a month away and October being breast cancer awareness month it will be hard for people to ignore the impact of cancer.
However, one of the issues many people don’t automatically think of, is the financial impact that comes with surviving a critical illness.
Research by Macmillan Cancer Support revealed that cancer patients are being hit financially through increasing costs and lost income as a direct result of their illness.
As they face sharp rises in daily living expenses such as household fuel bills and the cost of travel to and from hospital, many are being forced to cut back on everyday essentials and are borrowing money or using up savings to cover additional costs.
It’s reading reports like this that makes the case for buying protection insurance even more convincing.
Although a financial payout won’t make the emotional aspect of cancer easier to deal with, it will mean a family can keep up with their regular outgoings and ensure their lifestyle isn’t compromised financially.
So what more can providers and IFAs do to highlight the financial impact of surviving a serious illness? It was suggested some time ago that we introduce a protection awareness day.
But would that alone be enough to generate public interest or would we have to come to work dressed in a pirate jacket or a hard hat?
Roger Edwards is managing director of Bright Grey & Scottish Provident
