Debt while in hospital

No_self_control

I've just found out that my cousin tried to commit suicide last month and then again last night, she has been sectioned and is now in hospital. She told my auntie that the reason she tried to kill herself was because she is in so much debt and can't see a way out of it all. My auntie found her last night unconscious, she had been drinking and it looks like she took a large amount of pain killers. She also had some letters demanding payments from a couple of credit card co's and some other co's my auntie didn't recognise (possibly dca?), round her.

Obviously we are all in shock and very worried about my cousin, but we all also want to do everything we can to help her sort this mess out so she never feels like doing anything so drastic again.

What do we do, how do we help, is there anyway we can get the ball rolling while she is in hospital so she can come home to an improved situation and not a worse one because she's missed even more payments etc?

Any advice is appreciated

Floss

CAB is your first step - gather up all the information, paperwork, statements etc & take them with you.

Also, if she is employed, someone needs to speak to her employers re sick pay etc, so that her income is known whilst trying to help sort the situation out. Then if benefit claims are needed, they can be started too.

Good luck - and speedy recovery to your cousin too. I hope her family are supportive & will not condemn her actions whilst she was so stressed & worried about her finances.

bonnie_2

i think you'll find they won't deal with you as your not your cousin.
i can't even do anything for my husband. data protection act.
however if she's been sectioned i would contact mind as they will help people in your situauion and might know what to do.

Floss

True, Bonnie - never thought about that. Social worker may have been assigned too....

Let_Robinson_Sing

At the DCA that i work for we had a memo recently on what to do if a debtor was in hospital what we've been told to advise to get authorisation from a 3rd party best being her mother or close relative. if thats not possible then to have correspondance from the specialist but deffo get your cousins mother to go down to CAB. I also think that they have people to help with debt in hospital too but best asking the specialist about that.

I hope your cousin has a speedy recovery

doelani

Your cousin will be able to speak to Social Working in hospital and usually there will be a CAB advisor who will visit the phyciatric ward. I spend 5 months in one and the CAD came once a week. She must be honest with the Social Worker or they cannot get her the help she needs to sort this.

No_self_control

Thanks for all the advice and well wishes

We didn't think about the CAB, my cousin lives quite a way away from me so I won't be able to do anything practical like that. I'm just on a fact finding mission for my auntie, trying to do what little I can to help.

My cousin lost her job just before last Christmas when the co she had worked for since leaving school went out of business and hasn't been able to get another job since, which is where all her problems started I think. She's been on Incapacity benefit (i think, she was signing on every other week and then her benefit changed and she didn't need to sign on) since she was diagnosed with severe depression in march. Does anyone know if she will be able to still claim this while in hospital, my auntie has been told not to expect her home for at least a month.

My uncle (her dad) tried to call a couple of the co's earlier today and got a total blank from most of them, they weren't interested and refused to talk to him. One kept insisting that the only way they could talk to anyone but my cousin was if she was there to authorise it....he tried explaining she was in hospital but they just didn't get the message :mad:

My auntie was told that a social worker will be coming to see my cousin sometime over the next few days but so far my cousin is refusing to talk to anyone so I don't know if it's going to help much. To be honest it's like she's had a total breakdown.

As for the family, well there will be some people who will have a go at her, but most of us will be thinking "there but for the grace of god" we aren't a well off family and have all had money struggles.

aimme13

hi, as far as im aware her benefits will stop when she is in hospital. I have a close friend who has been in and out of hospital and sectioned several times. Your aunty will be able to speak to your cousins case worker who will also be able to tell her other organisations that can help with financial matters.

I know the problem with the money being stopped was why my friend could never have any direct debits set up......each time she came out she had bills to pay......

i hope your cousin gets better, my best advice is just be there for her

sanfrancisco

If she has no assets (it seems she doesn't), she should go bankrupt. Get the forms for her, gather all her paperwork together, sort it all out and organize into individual debts. Try and raise the fee for her (£475 ? - I think).

Could someone make the decision for her? If you all decide as a group this is the best course of action, then when she is a bit better just get her to sign the forms. Could someone become a probate for her.

This is really serious. This is life and death. This is it. Money is not worth someone killing themselves over. I am not saying she is being over the top, I am saying I feel incredibly sorry for her and she needs help (which you are obviously doing). AAAAaaaahhhhh...how did the world get to this? I really, really hope you manage to help her through this.

Floss

Was she entitled to any redundancy when the co went out of business? Did she receive anything?

No_self_control

Good afternoon everyone

Ammie, my auntie spoke to the social worker today to discuss things such as her benefits, the social worker said my cousin can stay in hospital for 4 weeks before her benefits will be affected and after that it will be reviewed. As they don't know how long she will need to be in hospital they are just going to cross that bridge when they come to it.

sanfrancisco, no she doesn't have any asset's. The only thing she has some money put away that she can't touch until she is 25 (she's 21 now) that her grandparents left her in their will years ago, would the cc etc be able to take this. I don't know how much money it is, as I said none of us in this family are particularly well off so I can't see it being a massive amount. If bankruptcy was the answer I'm sure that between the whole family we could get the money together somehow, but I always thought you had to owe massive amounts before you could do that, it looks like she owes about £8,000 (that my auntie has been able to find out about so far.) Won't bankruptcy stop her from having a bank account? All her benefits are paid directly into the bank so she needs an account.

Floss, the co went bust just about overnight, the staff got no real warning they all turned up for work one Monday morning and couldn't get into the offices then they all got phone calls saying sorry but the co was out of business. The union has been trying to get all the staff some redundancy but so far nothing has come of it.

My auntie and Uncle have an appointment to see a solicitor next week to see about legally being able to take over her affairs until she is better. At the moment she is still refusing to talk to anyone (except to tell them in a few choice words where to go!), won't accept any help and is refusing to sign papers giving her parents the right to sort everything out. One of the nurses looking after her has told them that it's not at all unusual for someone who has tried to kill themselves to act like that...they just want everything to go away

I can't imagine how hard it is for my auntie and uncle, my cousin is their youngest child and they are reaching retirement age now, my auntie is talking about postponing her retirement so that she can work for longer to help my cousin out with money until she "gets back on her feet".

Thanks again for all the help.