Agoraphobia and Driving lesson Help

Arf_A_Brain_Cell

Hiya guys some advice and /or info if i may ask..

firstly im agorapheobic . and have been for 15 going on 16 years.. although in the early days i couldnt even go out my front door.. over the years i am slowly but surely getting better. and can go out a lot more these days .. allbeit not in busy places or areas/situations i could feel trapped in.

now the thing is my partner has rhuematoid arthirtis and is getting worse and is only a matter of time before she is unable to drive.

I DO work fulltime "from home".. but on a low wage.. which litterally struggles to pay the monthly outgoings. and currently we recieve no financial help or benefits whatsoever (my partner is in process of claiming for DLA . now known as PIP?) of which we do expect to get higher rate of both scales avaliable. but ofc nothing is guarenteed either way.

Anyway.. i was wondering if anybody knows of any benefits.. or financial help avaliable to Agoraphoebic sufferers that helps them learn to drive . as these days at £20+ a lesson it simply isnt affordable to myself at all..

as where we live on Anglesey.. its a kinda remoted village , hence need transport to get about and do simple stuff like shopping and visiting family/friends, hence when the time comes my partner cannot drive anymore , i will need to be able to drive to be able to take over the role of driving her about .

i did have a quick google but couldnt find anything that assists me.. i have seen some places cater for younger people.. but im edging on 40 years old. so my age seems to restrict my ability for help in that area.

Ty in advance for all... if any advice or assitance.


regards steve

p00hsticks

I'm playing devil's advocate here a bit and not answering your question - but if the car is not going to be used daily for work, but only for occasional shopping, and visiting family and friends etc, are you sure that having a car is cost effective ?

Even if you could get driving lessons, by the time you allow for tax, insurance petrol and depreciation, would it not work out cheaper to hire a taxi a few times a week ? How remote are you ?

ILW

Is driving with agraphobia safe?

pmlindyloo

Putting aside whether this is a 'sensible thing to do' I think you may be approaching this the wrong way.

Instead of looking for 'grants' (not sure there are any!) you really should be claiming any benefits that you are entitled to. if you do then you would probably find that you had sufficient monies to fund your own driving lessons or pay for taxis when/if you need to.

So, if you want help with your entitlements you can either use the benefits calculator on www.turn2us.org.uk (click on benefits search) or tell us your (and your OH's) details so we can try and help. (ages/children/income/savings/renting/mortgage)

LostandAfraid

Do you get DLA? I get it at high rate care and low rate mobility,now the care part has little to do with the agoraphobia and more to do with care I need with other complex problems but the mobility is because I need someone with me to leave the house at all.

I cannot go out without my husband at all,not to any place but dla mobility can only pay low rate for agoraphobia and CAB feel I will actually be better off when they transfer to to pip for mobility at least.

If you are not already on dla you have to apply for pip which also covers agoraphobia,you get the standard rate if you need someone with you in unfamiliar places or if you can't go out at all and the enhanced rate if you need someone to be with you to even the most familiar places.

Agoraphobia is variable,it is not a blanket condition,some people can go to certain places but not others,for others it is about distance,some are housebound and some need a 'safe person' in some or all places.

I would suggest that if you do not get dla you have alook at applying for pip and see if you might qualify for it.

You will have to explain how it affects you and what happens if you don't get help like you would not be able to go there,would not be safe etc,detail is important but also remember you don't need to be getting the help to qualify,you only have to need it.

Solitaires

ILW wrote: »

Is driving with agraphobia safe?

Yes. I'm agoraphobic and can only go out in my car albeit only a short distance from my home generally a maximum distance 1.5miles. I cannot walk to the shops or GP's even though that would only take about 6 minutes. I get low rate mobility so can just about afford to run a car. I can bear to be in the local shops only because I know I can very quickly get home. Any panic I feel subsides completely when I get in my car.

Having said that I personally would not be safe to drive anywhere that is unfamiliar to me but I can drive to the hospital on occassions as the route is very familiar and only about 3 miles away and I can get there by backstreet roads without going into town.

I know what I can cope with and would not attempt going other places as I know I wouldn't be safe but as Arf a brain Cell says Agoraphobia affects people in different ways.

MidnightHour

Are you a carer of someone in receipt of high rate mobility DLA?
If so contact your local authority, some do give driving lessons as it saves them money in the long run.

http://www.carersuk.org/help-and-advice/practical-help/care-and-support/carers-assessment/the-help-you-will-get

Arf_A_Brain_Cell

Hiya and thnx for replies... ill answer some of the questions asked.. and maybe some1 mybe able to inform me better.. ty


p00hsticks ..that having a car is cost effective ?
A: Yes we need a Car we live 20 mins drive from nearest town, atm we in a remote small village. so taxis not an option.

ILW Is driving with agraphobia safe?
A: Yes for me it would be. although i guess for some it maybe wouldnt be a good idea depending on how severe their condition is (mines much better than it was, and i wouldnt consider driving for a second 5-10 years ago). as stated in original post i have had it 15 or so years. and have come a long long way from when i was at my worst. and am confident id be able to drive a car without any anxiety issues.. although big cities and large built up areas would be a no go.. but id avoid them anyway as i dont live near any cities. lol

pmlindyloo you really should be claiming any benefits pmlindyloo
A: apprantly im not entitled to anything at all , and neither is partner. working tax credits said i could get £5 a week. lol .. my partner though as stated above is in proccess of claiming PIP , again as stated we expect to get Higher rate Care and Higher Rate Mobility. which going back to 1st reply from users. would entitle us to a car.. which has its tax and Insurance paid for us. hence cutting costs as id go on partners insurance once i learn to drive for when she is unable to drive at all . or having a bad day with her arthritis and unable to drive.

LostandAfraid Do you get DLA?
A:no i dont . i did try years ago for Incapacity Benefit of which wwas refused (cant remember why was a long time ago) and due to me being in full time employment. didnt think im eligible for it. especially so now seeing as my agoraphobia is a lot milder than it was.
MidnightHour Are you a carer of someone in receipt of high rate mobility DLA?

A: my partner is in process of claiming Higher rate Care & Mobility , but it is to our understanding that due to my working fulltime.. i earn more than the maximum £56 a week they allow to be eligible for carers.


ty again for all replies.

~Chameleon~

ILW wrote: »

Is driving with agraphobia safe?

Why wouldn't it be?

marleyboy

MidnightHour wrote: »

Are you a carer of someone in receipt of high rate mobility DLA?
If so contact your local authority, some do give driving lessons as it saves them money in the long run.

http://www.carersuk.org/help-and-advice/practical-help/care-and-support/carers-assessment/the-help-you-will-get

I should point out that the Family Fund have stopped offering driving lessons for carers...

Family Fund cannot provide support for ongoing driving lessons.

Unfortunately, Family Fund will no longer be providing driving lesson support for parents or carers of disabled or seriously ill children. This is due to the rising costs of providing this grant alongside wanting to make every penny of funding we receive go to helping as many families as possible across the UK.

http://www.familyfund.org.uk/news/news-and-announcements/driving-ambition

Arf_A_Brain_Cell

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

Why wouldn't it be?

some peoples agoraphobia can be so severe that they would not be able to concentrate on the road at all.. hence in turn be a danger to themself and other road users.

as stated above 5-10 years ago i wouldnt even dream of learning to drive it was so bad. much milder now though and i wouldnt be anywhere near as bad as above mentioned time