Do You Care For A Loved One?

SomeBozo

Hi Broken Hearted.

I commend you for caring for your OH.

However, since you are posting flippant remarks about going back to work, allow me to post some flippant remarks back from the other angle.

The Work and Families Act came in 2006. This gives the right for carers to ask (under law) for consideration for flexible working. Just because you care for someone does that mean you are condemned to care for that person for 24 hours a day for the rest of your life?

Shall we as a state just abandon these carers to a life on poverty (on benefits) and being socially isolated?
Should we just assume that they dont want to work and continute to throw benefits at them?
Should we not offer to help?
Should those carers who want to work (for the money, for the social interaction) just be quiet and stay at home and get on with it?

The Work and Families Act allows these carers to approach the issue of flexible working. They have legal backing now. Whilst in the past they would just leave and/or be sacked and the employee would get someone else in with carer responsbilities.

My neighbour looks after her wife who has dementia. She is incontinent as well. He misses other people. He misses going to work and seeing and interacting with other people. He also loves his wife. What a position to be in.

The government has provided him with respite care and he uses this time to pull pints in our local. He says the money pays for a treat, but the time away keeps him sane.

His help off the government is the respite care, the ability to get flexible working (now on the law books) and the benefits.

So go on making those flippant remarks about what the government can and can't do and the burden of the tax payers.

Bozo

Broken_hearted

I'm well aware of all that, I fought for years to get back to work. Agree wholeheartedly that its a lonley impoverished live BUT the respite like ecerything else promised never comes through.
Have been through every complaint procedure going. If you think I'm being flippant have a look through our case files.

lil_me

Unfortunately MOST families get NO respite care. Sadly.