benefits for 82 yr old mother

Oldernotwiser

woof wrote: »

The majority of posts,however, have misunderstood my original post and have been quite negative so maybe this is the piont where this particular thread should end.

You are on the right forum but if you make posts where you talk about rent and utilities as you did, then don't be surprised if you are misunderstood.

If your mother has care needs she can apply for Attendance Allowance and if you were on a lower income you could claim Carers Allowance.

It may well be true to say that "The government is relying on families sense of love, loyalty and responsibility to keep the elderly in the community cheaply" but surely once one no longer say this then we will truly see the final breakdown of family life in our communities?

krisskross

woof wrote: »

Perhaps I wasn't clear. The £80pw rent etc was an illustration of what it would cost if my mother lived on her own NOT what she gives me!!! Margaretclare seems to get my point that with housing costs covered by housing benefit and council tax benefit (if she lived on her own) paid for by the government she would have enough money left for the rest of the neccessities she would need. The government is relying on families sense of love, loyalty and responsibility to keep the elderly in the community cheaply. As with many of you I do not feel right taking money from her other than the winter fuel payment and £20pw towards housekeeping.
We did move to a larger house (and now have a larger mortgage) so that my mother could live with us, we installed an ensuite shower room in her bedroom so she does not need to climb the stairs to the bathroom during the night. We moved to a different town to get this house so that she would still be close to her church and friends and community. My husband and I now commute an hour each way to work. My daughter had to change schools and make new friends. We did and continue to do all of this gladly I DO NOT want extra! Only what we or mum is legally entitled to.
ps. Even though I do care for my mum I cannot, it seems, apply for attendence allowance as I get £10pw more than the limit.

Now that you have made clear what the financial situation is rather than hypotheticals I can understand a lot more where you are coming from.

However you must have looked at all the financial implications before you went ahead with such an ambitious project.Where did your mother live before? Did she get housing benefit etc? Why was it not possible for her to remain in her own home?

The only benefit possibly available is as said before Attendance Allowance. For this your mother would need to demonstrate care needs with her hygiene, safety, eating etc. There are 2 components, day time which pays £47 a week and £67 a week if there are considerable day and night time needs. The care does not have to be demonstrated as actually provided. It is the need for the care that counts. I believe it is only possible to claim carers allowance if the higher rate AA is awarded.

bobmats_shel

woof wrote: »

Thanks for all the comments.
I would like to point out that pension (inc pension credit) for over 80's is £124.05 per week, rent £80pw, heating oil (no choice in rural area) is £22 pw leaves £22.05 for electricity, phone and food not to mention clothes, gifts for birthdays etc. The winter fuel payment is indeed £400 but does NOT cover the extra heat used during Oct - Mar
As bestpud says we do have to pay electric, etc anyway and as cw18 says " If you decide to take less off her than it would cost her to live alone then that's your choice. ", Yes , it is our choice to take less, though my argument is that if she lived alone she would qualify for more benefits so families are saving the government lots of money and not getting any recognition other than the free TV licence. However it seems we're not doing too badly so we'll keep plodding along as we are.

So your mother gets £124 per week, and she pays you £20 per week for board, giving you the winter fuel allowance of £400. So your mother is left with a disposable income of approximately £100 per week? Is that right?

I don't have a disposable income of £100 per week! For clothing, and any other toiletrries she needs, £100 a week is a fortune! If i assume that she doesn't require any specialised equipment, then does she really need more than £100 per week. I think you're very generous only taking £20 a week from her for food and bills.