extra financial support for student with BPD?

j-josie

(BPD= Borderline Personality Disorder)

DD has this condition and struggles with peer interaction/ uni lecture attendance at times.
DH is unemployed and we can't give DD any extra financial support. We were wondering if she could get a disability grant in order to buy a laptop which would mean she could access course notes etc from her room, when she is having bad depression attack. Also, she may need to travel home on a regular basis (from a support point of view). Would she get help with travel costs? Finally, and this might seem cheeky; doctor recommends physical activity so would she get help with cost of gym membership? She can't afford any of these on current student loan.
She has not got a part time job but is looking. We feel a job would be great as she needs the money and is very bad at handling 'down' time so working would help keep her busy, but the BPD thing can make employment a bit tricky..
She did work while doing A levels but it was a safe and comfortable environment for her in a corner shop, working with a friend from childhood. She is not so confident about working in a large shop, in large town etc and I find it's a fine line between encouraging her to work and being seen as nagging. Oops, sorry for digressing.
If anyone knows how to go about getting extra help it would be great.

System

Have you looked into DLA? And disabled students allowance?

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/EducationAndTraining/HigherEducation/DG_10034898?CID=DWP&TYPE=Sponsoredsearch&CRE=HigherEducation

Ooh and re:exercise, next time she is at her GP's get her to ask about "exercise on prescription" not 100% its a national thing but if reffered she can get so many sessions free and the rest heavily subsidised



and as for employment the Shaw trust and Remploy both help those who are disabled get back into employment, maybe go to the jobcenter and speak to a disability advisor?:)

j-josie

Thanks for the link. Think I managed to confuse myself before when I last looked at this website but now I see she sends the forms off to get her condition recognised and then after that, they will consider her specific needs if she satisfies the conditions.
Easy when you know how!
The exercise on prescription thing sounds good too
Never heard of the agencies you mentioned re job search so will definitely look into that.
Many thanks for the very helpful post!

System

j-josie wrote: »

Thanks for the link. Think I managed to confuse myself before when I last looked at this website but now I see she sends the forms off to get her condition recognised and then after that, they will consider her specific needs if she satisfies the conditions.
Easy when you know how!
The exercise on prescription thing sounds good too
Never heard of the agencies you mentioned re job search so will definitely look into that.
Many thanks for the very helpful post!

No worries! I have BPD myself and am still finding my way around it so to speak!

student_advisor

She might be better claiming DLA & ESA if she has a lot of difficulties. This would in turn entitle her to a higher rate of student support and housing benefit. It would also mean she could just focus on her course and not worry so much about money.

DSA would pay for a laptop if it was deemed necessary given her condition. It could also cover non-medical support such as a mentor.

With regards to exercise, it might actually be cheaper to use the uni gym, if they have one. It varies with institution, but I know it was only a cheap termly payment to use the gym when I was a student compared to a subsidised but not free gym from the doctor. The prescription exercise is also usually only at a handful of gyms, so the uni one may be cheaper and/or easier to get to.

j-josie

Gosh, Student Advisor, I'd never even heard of ESA.
Have had a quick look at the form; seems a bit daunting but I guess we'll have a chat about it and try applying for that too.
Am in 2 minds about the ESA to be honest. I guess I want her to be able to earn some money rather than getting a handout, but that's just because I want everything to be as 'normal' as possible for her.
But then again, if she is really struggling, that's what DH and I have been paying our taxes for, and you are right in that it would be a big financial relief for her. She's just about gone through 75% of her savings in the first year and it's meant to last her 3 years!

Oldernotwiser

As she's capable of working, even if in a somewhat sheltered environment, she's unlikely to be accepted for ESA. Is she receiving everything she's eligible for in terms of Loans, Grant and Bursary.

j-josie

think so; figs currently being re-assessed as our income dropped by 50% but doesn't that just change the non repayable element rather than giving her an actual increase in monies received?

student_advisor

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

As she's capable of working, even if in a somewhat sheltered environment, she's unlikely to be accepted for ESA. Is she receiving everything she's eligible for in terms of Loans, Grant and Bursary.

Surely if she gets DLA she can get income related ESA? Although student income may interfere with this...

She might even qualify for contributions based.

MissPop

I can't offer any help with the financial part of your question, but I can sympathise with your predicament - I've had lots of "issues" (as I call them) throughout my secondary education, and it has caused me a lot of trouble and set me back. I'm really daunted about uni as I finally want to get myself straight and do it without my past difficulties impacting on my future. Anyway, I really hope your daughter gets all the support she needs - there should be someone at the uni (Student Services/Support etc) who should be able to offer support and advice for you both - it's going to be really important that you both have strategies and whatnot in place to make uni as easy as possible for her. Get in touch with them and get a good rapport going with them, so they know your daughter's needs and know how best to help her from the off. I can't say I know a lot about BPD, but is your daughter receiving treatment for it? Because attendance is important at uni - I had a lot of "bad days" at college, and it ultimately really impacted on my grades, but to be honest, I probably could have worked through them and forced myself to go to college, no matter how s--t I felt!

I by no means mean that anyone can make themselves get on with things just like that, I know how hard it can be (I've had days when I couldn't get out of bed for 2 days because I just didn't see the point in it all) but your daughter will need to really push herself and step outside of her comfort zone if she's going to do well and enjoy uni.

Anyway, I wish you both all the best, and hope you can sort out the financial issues you have. On the exercise front - are there any nice places she could go for a jog? Or a bike ride? It's free after all I think Natwest are offering £100 off ASUS laptops for new students opening student bank accounts too, which might help if you can't get one free

j-josie

Hi MissPop (sorry for delay - we had friends round for dinner!)
DD is going in to 2nd year at uni. She informed uni about her problems in her personal statement but when she got to uni all she got was a letter saying something along the lines of "If you need us, come and find us but you must come to us as we aren't going to offer anything up front". She is introverted by nature so did not do anything. She missed lots of lectures but finally got a letter from GP to confirm absences due to mental health issues. She also has to retake some modules but has got into 2nd year. I've seen her essays and she got high marks consistently (never less than 2:1 standard) so she has the potential but the BPD can mess with her head sometimes:o and make her her own worst enemy. She is on anti depressants for clinical depression: the BPD won't be formally recognised until she is older ;psychiatrist agrees she shows all the signs of it, but says she is too young for such a diagnosis and she must wait til she still has it it her 20s for it to be recognised as such..
We are hoping that she will be more pro active this year about accessing help..