had visit from social services today

ladylumps45

good afternoon all:o
i dont know whether anyone remembers my previous post about SS making an apt to visit me following a referral from a lady i :ohad a different apt with.
well 2 ladies came today and were brilliant.i didnt know what to expect but was told that they would be able to help me .
they are arranging for occupational therapy to visit me,writing to my council as they were astounded that i had been placed in band d for housing.
also they are going to see about support groups for us locally and are going to arrange another assessment for direct payments for help.
does anybody receive these and do you have to pay towards it?
from what ive read they will only take into account my incapacity benefit and my care component of dla (middle) when working out the financial assessment.
wondered if anyone had anymore info on the personal budget and direct payments?thankyou.

black_paw

first well done in your appointment ,as can be really stress full not knowing what is going to be said.and having two very nice ladys
.i had s/s lady round to me , as i am deaf needed flashing fire alarm ect , she arranged grants to put all this in with the local housing people . and followed it to the end. i did'nt have to pay anything. was well pleased with her help and told me others things i could get free or cheap ,, i never new i could get free bus pass ! would have done it years ago and saved money ... the truth is out there ... on these pages

ladylumps45

thankyou for your reply black paw.glad they have been helpful to you too.i didnt realise what they could do either!
theres such a bad stigma to do with the social services but it just proves that they are good too.

[Deleted User]

I'm really happy your appointment went well

I cant help much with direct payments I dont work with them but it should help you loads. You'll be able to pay for a cleaner, carer, someone to do laundry anything to assit.

Make use of the suport groups if there are any near you. You or your little girl may be nervous at first but it'll really help just having a brew and a chat with people in similar situations.

I am actually really happy it has been a good experience so far and hope it gets better still once you get services in place and perhaps a house move. Too many people think social serivces are something they will never need and that theres something wrong in accepting help or that they are just baby snatchers, non of which are true.

McKneff

I can only echo what everyone else says, good for you and i'm glad you feel happier now.

good luck

ladylumps45

thanks shel and mcneff,i do feel much brighter now and just wish i had known about this sooner.she said that also i could use the money to pay for someone to sit with our baby while myself and my husband go out somewhere as we never get quality time as he cant push me in a wheelchair on my worse days(which are more often than not)and push our 14 month old in her buggy at the same time lol.
we dont have anyone to look after her and my 12 year old isnt old enough to do it.not sure if i could actually leave her though so i might just get the help with the housework and care as i would miss her too much!
my advice to anyone that is struggling whether its through ill health or any other reason is,dont be ashamed to ask for help or take it if you are offered it.
the only down side to my good news this week is that ive had 2 letters this morning for 2 MRI scans 1 locally and 1 in london but i guess i cant have it all good !!! thankyou for all you advice and replies.xx

Ames

Blimey, where do you live? I can't get help however much I ask, even though I get higher rate of both DLA components!

Disni

thankyou for this post, i will contact the ss in the morning to see how much help i can get from them also xxx

ladylumps45

glad its been helpful.good luck with getting help.keep us posted on how you get on.another big thanks to all for help and advice:T

chrissy100

:T I to did not realise how much help you could get from SS.

My counselor (who I see for depression) got in touch with them on my behalf. As I only get low rate on the care part of DLA. (I get high on the mobility) I didn't think I would get any help. Couldn't believe how quick they were to get in touch and make the appointments.

Welfare Benefits Team rang me and it looks like I am entitled to an Income Support top up on my IB, which is now in the process of being sorted.

An OT came out last week and is looking into aids for me for the bathroom and the kitchen. Plus a care pack is now being put together for me for help that I need.

This has all happened within the last month. I can only sing their praises at the moment.

Unfortunately I have just been turned down on a review for middle care rate of DLA. It appears you have to have someone with you either all day or all night to get it. I know that had I been able to get the middle rate I could afford to have more help. I already pay privately for a cleaner every week, but it does depend on the cost of the care plan they send to me as to whether I can afford to have it.

Everyone from SS has been so nice and haven't made me feel guilty about having a disability. I have severe arthritis, so it is a diabilty that cannot be seen straight away and it hard sometimes to get people to understand what you can and can't do.

So anyone thinking of getting in touch with their SS. Do it...They really are there to help.

Chrissy

Ames

Thanks for the postitive story Chrissy, my dealings with SS have been appalling (see my thread about ME aids and adaptations if you want the full story). This time I'm determined to fight them for what I'm entitled to though! The more I read this though the more ammo I've got, if other people are getting help then I know not to let my area ss get away with 'we don't help with cooking, cleaning washing or dressing'.