Looking for the silver lining

Sun_Addict

Some hair-raising experiences tonight:

1. Walking home from bus stop tonight bumped into Mr SA walking dog on his own!!!!! He had sneaked out as soon as carer left. Have now made him promise to stay in when carer goes or carer will have to stay longer. Think it's sunk in as he says he enjoys the short space of time on his own between carer leaving and me arriving home.

2. Got home to letter and form to fill in re we might have to contribute towards care costs!!!

3. Couldn't get TV to work. Fiddled about with it for ages before finally getting it going again. Had visions of having to watch tiny TV out of kitchen.

4. Mr SA seems to have acquired a very large can of Budweiser.

Sigh!

beanielou

Eek to possible contribution to care costs & Mr SA walking the dog.
Keep plodding

please-let-me-be-lucky

:eek: to Mr SA walking the dog, must've been scary for you. Do you have anything set up like 'find my iphone' whereby you can track where he is if you need to? Just thinking of what a shock it would've been had you made it back home before him. Xx

Eager_Elephant

Sun_Addict wrote: »

2. Got home to letter and form to fill in re we might have to contribute towards care costs!!!

This is quite normal.

When someone is discharged from hospital and needs care, these care needs are paid for from Social Services but going forward they have to come from a different pot of money.

The good thing about the assessment is that they take into account your outgoings as well as your income (not like state benefits who just care about income).

Remember that Mr SA's ESA will increase once he has been assessed as being in one of the groups. It is Form ESA50 which gets the ball rolling - have you told JC+ that he is home?

Also PIP is normally used to fund carers so fingers crossed this gets sorted asap for you.

You might find that if you do have to contribute towards costs that it is cheaper for you to employ the carer rather than going through Social Services or an agency.

Try not to worry about it for now.

Sun_Addict

Thanks for your sound advice eager elephant - we were warned this would happen by the social worker. She seemed to think it was just a formality. But with our luck .....

I'm off work on Thursday and I'm going to ring for a claim form for PIP for him. Looking at the form from social services if he's entitled to anything and he hasn't claimed they will count in what he is entitled to as part of income - so we'd better get the ball rolling. I don't earn a lot and I have to pay all the bills out of my wages which doesn't leave a great deal to spare but no doubt I earn 50p more than some threshold for claiming anything. Mr SA only gets ESA so can't afford to pay anything for care. So maybe they will say I have to pay something in order for me to carrying on working. As I need to keep working for my own sanity if I have to pay something then so be it. What annoys me is that they say if you're not married but living together you have no rights but I bet they would expect me to fund his care. But no point stressing at the moment it may well be we don't have to pay anything or just a minimal amount.

Mr SA has been quite confused today and talking about a Ferrari he hired for his birthday. He was adamant he'd done it and was quite upset when I told him he was in a neuro ward on his birthday with a feeding tube up his nose. I told him it must've been a very nice dream!

Took him out for lunch as it's my payday today - which he enjoyed. Paid £70 off debt to round it down to £2800.

Had to pick up his medication from chemist today and they tried to charge for it. Said he has cancer and should be exempt. Apparently he should have certificate for this. Why has no one told us about this? Fortunately I didn't have to pay in the end.

Anyway hope everyone has a fabulous New Year and I sincerely hope I have a better 2014 than 2013!

please-let-me-be-lucky

Fingers crossed all the forms go through without a hitch.

All the best for a much calmer 2014 Xx

Sun_Addict

Thanks to everyone who has read and supported me on my much more eventful than anticipated diary this year. Hope next year's diary is a lot more boring

satchmo1

2013 was an eventful year. 2014 is shaping up to be an eventful year. Being alive appears to involve "eventful years". Thank God we manage to live through each eventful year, I don't fancy the alternative.

please-let-me-be-lucky

Great way to look at it Satchmo Xx

Sun_Addict

Too true ladies! I have a friend who tells anyone who moans about being a year older on their birthday to just think of the alternative - always shuts them up!