DLA home assessment, diagnoses & general help

diamonds

welshmoneylover wrote: »

Do you have any family living close by who can help you out with household chores or preparing a meal?

No and my dependency on one of my parents is immense for financial & transport.

They cant get up to my apartment easy at the top of the block due to their own health problems, at my most severe point they do it or I die of starvation if food was not brought to my bed over a week or two, these are points im almost crawling to the bathroom, then back to bed.

Siblings have families and commitments, short answer is NOT AT ALL, local council would only give me 5 hours "CARE" at my DLA middle care rate and would not top it up.

Penny-Pincher!!

bambammy wrote: »

Could you tell me how you know they can diagnose ME via a brain scan ? Can't find anything on the NHS website.

It's called the SPECT scan and I read about it whilst I was at Kings Rhumy dpt. They do the testing there so maybe its a new thing in the UK-sorry if it is!

I am still confused about the OP. Did you take the 5hrs care the council offered you and could you not use your DLA to cover more care costs?

PP
xx

purple12

diamonds wrote: »

local council would only give me 5 hours "CARE" at my DLA middle care rate and would not top it up.

Community Care Assessments by the council are completely unrelated to DLA claims and have no relevance - but they are very tightly monitored regarding needs rather than things that would improve ones quality of life - a problem with falling budgets everywhere.
The five hours would probably cover the absolute bare essentials to survive I expect but it doesn't link to the DLA.

diamonds

Penny-Pincher!! wrote: »

It's called the SPECT scan and I read about it whilst I was at Kings Rhumy dpt. They do the testing there so maybe its a new thing in the UK-sorry if it is!

I am still confused about the OP. Did you take the 5hrs care the council offered you and could you not use your DLA to cover more care costs?

PP
xx

Interesting, very interesting. The 5 hours were to be paid out my DLA MRC @ £10x 5 and the council wanted me to pay anything over 5 hours out my own pocket off my IS paid as IB.

diamonds

purple12 wrote: »

Community Care Assessments by the council are completely unrelated to DLA claims and have no relevance - but they are very tightly monitored regarding needs rather than things that would improve ones quality of life - a problem with falling budgets everywhere.
The five hours would probably cover the absolute bare essentials to survive I expect but it doesn't link to the DLA.

I need and needed at that asessment time help in the mornings to get upst and a home help as a minimum, I called head social work as I got offered no help and demanded a second assessment as I knew the assessor was new to that side of social work, the second assessment was just as bad - I ended up begging to get meals on wheels at my expense so what was it really costing them to put me on the delivery route when 2 streets away was having delivery, I asked for 1 main meal a day, home help, care in the mornings to help me start the day, adaptions to my bathroom as handrails were needed.

I got nothing & had to BEG for the main meal.

I self referred to Occupational Therapist at same council and got stuff to help me in out bath, a picker upper thing (that was far too short) and a cushion for the pain when sitting & some aid to pull myself up in bed (when I can). They wer willing to few me a few hundred pound in aids, nothing in way of actual help.

Indie_Kid

Perhaps they think you don't need the help?

Penny-Pincher!!

I dont mean to sound rude but have you ever thought that it may be your attitude. Words like demanded dont wash well with me.

Meals on wheels no longer exist at many councils and have never been FREE for anyone. The new meal set up is through frozen meals which can be ordered online from several companies and they deliver weekly and even place them in your freezer and can supply a cooker if needed. The meals are quite good value if you are unable to prepare meals yourself.

I dont understand how they asked you to pay for the 5 hrs they assessed you as needing from your DLA???? If you are on IS and they feel that you are in genuine need, then ususally the costs are covered by your council.

DLA is there to cover extra costs like care when required.

I also dont undertsand why you had to self-refer to an OT. If you have a half decent GP, they would set all this up for you. My GP set everything up for me...OT, SW, nurses etc. In turn I had a stair lift fitted, wet room, other aids around the home, daily care and a little domestic help.

All my illnesses can be backed up through numerous consultants, test results etc, so they've never been doubted. We no longer qualify for paid help but I was originally offered a huge care package but only asked for what I needed as I wouldnt be greedy. I have always apreciated all the help offered and my OT's, SW's, nurses, helpers etc etc have been good friends over the years.

Do you own your property or have savings as this would affect whether you would get and free help?

Other than that, it sounds like they dont think you need the help. Maybe a report from your GP would help or get them to contact them directly on your behalf?

PP

Duncombe

OP - why are you living at the top of a block of flats? I can fully understand moving can be hard, but it is clearly making your life more difficult than it ned be. You've spent £50k on private healthcare and what not, would that not have been better spent moving to a ground floor flat?

Secondly, if you were my sibling/child and were suffering as badly as you seem to say, no 'family and committments' would stop me doing simply weekly tasks for you (like shopping more economically perhaps). The welfare state hasn't always been here - how do you think people managed before then?

diamonds

sh1305 wrote: »

Perhaps they think you don't need the help?

Yes why would a mid twenty year old need help after exceptional trama, its agist. I see the 90 year old woman across the street on her zimmer and im slightly jealous and very proud of her !

diamonds

Penny-Pincher!! wrote: »

I dont mean to sound rude but have you ever thought that it may be your attitude. Words like demanded dont wash well with me.

Meals on wheels no longer exist at many councils and have never been FREE for anyone. The new meal set up is through frozen meals which can be ordered online from several companies and they deliver weekly and even place them in your freezer and can supply a cooker if needed. The meals are quite good value if you are unable to prepare meals yourself.

I dont understand how they asked you to pay for the 5 hrs they assessed you as needing from your DLA???? If you are on IS and they feel that you are in genuine need, then ususally the costs are covered by your council.

DLA is there to cover extra costs like care when required.

I also dont undertsand why you had to self-refer to an OT. If you have a half decent GP, they would set all this up for you. My GP set everything up for me...OT, SW, nurses etc. In turn I had a stair lift fitted, wet room, other aids around the home, daily care and a little domestic help.

All my illnesses can be backed up through numerous consultants, test results etc, so they've never been doubted. We no longer qualify for paid help but I was originally offered a huge care package but only asked for what I needed as I wouldnt be greedy. I have always apreciated all the help offered and my OT's, SW's, nurses, helpers etc etc have been good friends over the years.

Do you own your property or have savings as this would affect whether you would get and free help?

Other than that, it sounds like they dont think you need the help. Maybe a report from your GP would help or get them to contact them directly on your behalf?

PP

I was my usual pleasant self till a second asessment said I need no help, !!!!!! ? Then I begged crying for help, then I demanded they stick to thier brochure "you will receive the help you require not what you can afford"

Meals on wheels at my local council are made fresh daily, you pay they cost, the council pay for the vans/staff to deliver, which they passed my street to get to two streets away everyday but still I had to beg like dog to get fed.
If you get care from local council you must surrender your DLA care and they are then meant to assess the rest on your needs and you dont pay, however they wanted charge me for every hour. Thats when I demanded fairness to no avail.

Its for my council to ask my GP for guidance/facts, not the other way about here. But they wouldnt, even knowing I could manage the stairs 4 times a week once a day & had DSA from college (which due health could not study 8 hrs a week after dropping from 16) including all travel costs in taxis, £3500 in support for everything else...council refused to talk to my education disability officer, basically pay £50 for 5 hours and thats all we are offering.

Not a penny in savings since 1998, loads debt though ! No property, DWP only income.