epilepsy and dla

kazzah60

woodbine wrote: »

Hi I myself have uncontrolled epilepsy(i`m not an "epileptic"),i have tonic clonic seaizures on average 2-3 a week and absence seizures several times most days,although i never have seizures during sleeping hours,on this basis i get mrc and lrm mobility dla.
As has already been mentioned you dont get dla for the condition but for care and or mobility needs.
It might help to have a look at the nse website,they offer excellent advice and also have a free to use forum that is well supported http://www.epilepsysociety.org.uk/Homepage
if i can be of any help just ask here or feel free to PM me
regards
John

Hi John
as I have long suspected you and my brother suffer from very similar types of uncontrolled epilepsy- my brothers is as a result of a brain tumour which was removed many years ago
my brother does have nighttime absences and has been found wandering a dual carriageway in his pyjamas before now ( thank goodness for SOS braclets!) and often wakes up in a different room in the house, he has previously pulled the matress off the bed and the curtain rail off the wall and has no memory of doing so.

He gets HRC and LRM - and I can honestly say, he deserves them - he really does need to be watched over 24/7
he also has extremely bad psoriasis and has to have huges amounts of steroid cream applied every night and showered off every day ( he really isn't safe in a bath alone) it's very debilitating for him

I would urge the OP to submit a claim - the idea of keeping a diary for a week is a good one - it can be very useful when calculating what exactly the Op does for her husband and identify his care needs

I 100% believe that people with Epilepsy that is poorly controlled
and who have frequent seizures or absences should be awarded DLA

[Deleted User]

kazzah60 wrote: »

Hi John
as I have long suspected you and my brother suffer from very similar types of uncontrolled epilepsy- my brothers is as a result of a brain tumour which was removed many years ago
my brother does have nighttime absences and has been found wandering a dual carriageway in his pyjamas before now ( thank goodness for SOS braclets!) and often wakes up in a different room in the house, he has previously pulled the matress off the bed and the curtain rail off the wall and has no memory of doing so.

He gets HRC and LRM - and I can honestly say, he deserves them - he really does need to be watched over 24/7
he also has extremely bad psoriasis and has to have huges amounts of steroid cream applied every night and showered off every day ( he really isn't safe in a bath alone) it's very debilitating for him

I would urge the OP to submit a claim - the idea of keeping a diary for a week is a good one - it can be very useful when calculating what exactly the Op does for her husband and identify his care needs

I 100% believe that people with Epilepsy that is poorly controlled
and who have frequent seizures or absences should be awarded DLA

I agree and to be fair most people i have known via epilepsy forums do get dla,its also true to say that even in 2011 there is still far too much stigma and ignorance surrounding the condition,my brother in laws best mate lost his 51 year old sister this week,she only ever had either absences or very small seizures,sadly her first biggie killed her stone dead..very sad.

joyciebird

woodbine wrote: »

Just another thought having read post #7 if he gets warnings(or auras)before he has a seizure he is unlikely to qualify for dla as he is able to ensure he is relatively "safe"before it happens.

That would depend on how much of a warning he gets

Tehya

woodbine wrote: »

Hi I myself have uncontrolled epilepsy(i`m not an "epileptic"),i have tonic clonic seaizures on average 2-3 a week and absence seizures several times most days,although i never have seizures during sleeping hours,on this basis i get mrc and lrm mobility dla.
As has already been mentioned you dont get dla for the condition but for care and or mobility needs.
It might help to have a look at the nse website,they offer excellent advice and also have a free to use forum that is well supported http://www.epilepsysociety.org.uk/Homepage
if i can be of any help just ask here or feel free to PM me
regards
John

It's posts like this one, pleasant and imformative, that brings me back to MSE despite the craziness that goes on here, i.e. the anti benefit claiming brigade. So well done Woodbine, and all the others who try to make MSE the site it was intended to be.

Sorry to highjack OP, good luck with your ex's claim. The diary idea helped my husband and I to actually see just how much I did for him and I can tell you it was one massive eye opener so now I keep a daily diary for his future claims just in case.

[Deleted User]

joyciebird wrote: »

That would depend on how much of a warning he gets

yes there is that,but afaik if you get any warning and say so when you apply for dla it will probably denied

asdfgf

Thank you so much for your advice. I will certainly look into all of this. He is just about to be made redundant and I feel getting employment is going to prove very difficult (He's 56) so I will explore all avenues.

Indie_Kid

asdfgf wrote: »

Thank you so much for your advice. I will certainly look into all of this. He is just about to be made redundant and I feel getting employment is going to prove very difficult (He's 56) so I will explore all avenues.

If he works, he can claim DLA too if he still has care and /or mobility needs. DLA isn't an out of work benefit.

MrsManda

asdfgf wrote: »

Thank you so much for your advice. I will certainly look into all of this. He is just about to be made redundant and I feel getting employment is going to prove very difficult (He's 56) so I will explore all avenues.

As SH1305 said, he can claim DLA whether he's in work or not. If he feels he's unable to work anymore and his doctor will sign him off then he should claim Employment Support Allowance.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/FinancialSupport/esa/index.htm

moonbeam2007

Hi sorry to jump in. I'm new here, can someone please tell me how to start a topic? can't find it any where am feeling a bit stupid right now lol

MrsManda

moonbeam2007 wrote: »

Hi sorry to jump in. I'm new here, can someone please tell me how to start a topic? can't find it any where am feeling a bit stupid right now lol

Go to the forum - where the topic list is rather than clicking on a particular thread. There's a button at the top which says 'new thread'
For Disability and Dosh go to: http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=155 and it's near the top of the page