DLA and diabetes

Fiddich

My daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes last month, huge shock to the family and we are only just coming to terms with it. One of the many leaflets I was given on the condition said that we could claim disability allowance. When my wife asked about this at the CAB yesterday, she was told that we wouldnt be entitled just because our daughter has diabetes, but gave her the claim form to fill in anyway Is it worth filling the form in? Do any other members claim this allowance for a family member with diabetes?
Regards
Fiddich

Mrs_B_12

DLA is determined on the effects of the condition so she may get it if she needs extra care. For children you have to show that they need more care than most children of the same age.

filigree_2

Perhaps what they meant to say was that you don't automatically get DLA, but that you might get it if you apply.

A DLA claimant needs to have been ill for at least three months so you might have to wait a few weeks, but in the meantime read through the form and consider how you want to answer the questions. It might be best to wait a while till you have got used to the new routines so you can explain clearly how much extra care your daughter needs.

Some people do get DLA for diabetes so it's worth giving it a go.

margaretclare

Hi

The point about diabetes is that it's a condition you can live with. It needs good/excellent control to avoid the side-effects. I don't think Sir Steve Redgrave thought of claiming DLA while he was winning Olympic gold medals for rowing and coping with diabetes as well!

My DH has had diabetes (Type II) since 1981. He has made it his business to learn as much as possible about this disease and its effects while living a busy normal life.

There should be a specialist nurse practitioner in diabetes at your local hospital or at your GP's surgery and these are very knowledgeable people - what you need is information, and that information needs to be up-to-date. You could also start with Diabetes UK's website: http://www.diabetes.org.uk/

As an example, I think that there are conditions which would give entitlement to DLA but not diabetes itself. Conditions such as blindness from diabetic retinopathy or limb amputations, but these take a long time to develop and are not inevitable given good control on a day-to-day basis. It is best for the sufferer to take control of this disease for himself/herself.

The worst problem in teenage diabetics is 'denial' - not taking care of self at the time when it most matters because 'it's not happening to me'.

HTH

Margaret

Cute_'n'_Quirky

For an adult, diabetes and DLA please be very careful in applying.

I have a friend with type 1 diabetes which is very uncontrolled despite various changes to medication, etc.

He applied for DLA and ended up losing his driving licence!!!! Due to the dizziness and lack of co-ordination, etc, which can go hand-in-hand with the condition.

bulchy

My son has just been diagnosed with diabetes, so know what your going through Fiddich, will have a chat with the diabetic team to see what they can suggest, as regards claiming this benefit.
Sue

missylou_2

Hi, I appreciate that this will have come as a huge shock to all members of your family and you will probably find it very difficult to cope for the first few months but it will get easier!

As someone with a great deal of personal experience dealing with your daughter's condition, (29 years worth to be precise!) I can catagorically state that it is not and will not be a disability! Your daghter will learn that spontaneity is no longer an option and that all aspects of her life will require a degree of planning and at times careful consideration, but she will adapt.
But this is not a bad thing and will serve her well for all the joys of adulthood that lie ahead of her.

I would not recommend applying for DLA as your daughter is most definitely not disabled and she should never be made to believe that she is. All the same opportunities lie ahead of her as did 6 months ago, (apart that is from a limited number of career choices, such as the armed forces). You will meet other parents in a similar situation when she start attending her out-patients appointments, and similarly your daughter will meet children in the same situation as herself.

Meanwhile if you have have not contacted her school do so now and ensure that they are fully aware of how to spot/manage/prevent any impending hypos in a discreet professional manner, so as to prevent any loss of self esteem while your daughter is adapting to her diagnosis.

You may be more comfortable with your daughter being in the home environment while she becomes stable and adjusts, just remember to let her know that you are happy for her friends to be there too and encourage her to explain about the diabetes to them, (would also be worth discussing condition management with her friends parents so that they know the essential basics for when normal social activities resume.

Once she has learned how to manage the diabetes she will grow up to become like most of the others I have attended childrens, adolescents, and adult clinics with, a perfectly normal, functioning, hard working, educated, tax paying, contributing member of society.

Only difference being that her childhood experience has given her a better ability to see the bigger picture, relate actions to consequences, and ability to be more self disciplined than most of her peer group.

donnalove

missylou wrote: »

Hi, I appreciate that this will have come as a huge shock to all members of your family and you will probably find it very difficult to cope for the first few months but it will get easier!

As someone with a great deal of personal experience dealing with your daughter's condition, (29 years worth to be precise!) I can catagorically state that it is not and will not be a disability! Your daghter will learn that spontaneity is no longer an option and that all aspects of her life will require a degree of planning and at times careful consideration, but she will adapt.
But this is not a bad thing and will serve her well for all the joys of adulthood that lie ahead of her.

I would not recommend applying for DLA as your daughter is most definitely not disabled and she should never be made to believe that she is. All the same opportunities lie ahead of her as did 6 months ago, (apart that is from a limited number of career choices, such as the armed forces). You will meet other parents in a similar situation when she start attending her out-patients appointments, and similarly your daughter will meet children in the same situation as herself.

Meanwhile if you have have not contacted her school do so now and ensure that they are fully aware of how to spot/manage/prevent any impending hypos in a discreet professional manner, so as to prevent any loss of self esteem while your daughter is adapting to her diagnosis.

You may be more comfortable with your daughter being in the home environment while she becomes stable and adjusts, just remember to let her know that you are happy for her friends to be there too and encourage her to explain about the diabetes to them, (would also be worth discussing condition management with her friends parents so that they know the essential basics for when normal social activities resume.

Once she has learned how to manage the diabetes she will grow up to become like most of the others I have attended childrens, adolescents, and adult clinics with, a perfectly normal, functioning, hard working, educated, tax paying, contributing member of society.

Only difference being that her childhood experience has given her a better ability to see the bigger picture, relate actions to consequences, and ability to be more self disciplined than most of her peer group.

well on that advise you should definately apply for dla. claiming dla does not mean you are disabled, it is for conditions you have where by you need extra help and support.
it sounds like there is a lot of help needed with this condition as it has to be monitered and the child will need to be watched constantly, that in it's self would give an award of dla
make a diary of everything you have to do for her no matter how small that help is and also the effect the condition is having on her i.e has she slipped into a form of depression by being told she has this, as things like this can happen, a child can change from being bubbly into not bothering about themselves or anything. then you can refer to it to fill in the forms. As has already been said you won't be able to claim until she has had the condition for 3 months, you will also need help when filling them in.

donnalove
xxx

filigree_2

missylou wrote: »

Your daghter will learn that spontaneity is no longer an option and that all aspects of her life will require a degree of planning and at times careful consideration, but she will adapt.

So her life WILL change, and she will have to learn to deal with this, and her wider family will have to help her

She is not disabled and she should never be made to believe that she is.

"Disabled" isn't an insult or a death sentence. There's no shame in acknowedging that your physical status affects how you live your life. Besides, if the girl is young she doesn't even need to know that she gets the allowance as it is paid care of the parents.

she start attending her out-patients appointments,

Healthy children don't have the faff of going to hospital or joining support groups, and their parents aren't obliged to find the time and money to facilitate this level of support

Meanwhile if you have have not contacted her school do so now and ensure that they are fully aware of how to spot/manage/prevent any impending hypos in a discreet professional manner, so as to prevent any loss of self esteem while your daughter is adapting to her diagnosis.

This is a degree of care that would not be necessary for a child without diabetes

would also be worth discussing condition management with her friends parents so that they know the essential basics for when normal social activities resume.

Ditto - other children don't need this level of care

Once she has learned how to manage the diabetes she will grow up to become like most of the others I have attended childrens, adolescents, and adult clinics with, a perfectly normal, functioning, hard working, educated, tax paying, contributing member of society.

Absolutely agree with you - I'm sure she will grow up happy and healthy. How would DLA interfere with this? Once she is an adult she isn't obliged to claim DLA if she feels strongly enough that she doesn't want a "label".

Sorry if it sounds like an attack on Missylou which I didn't mean! I absolutely agree that diabetes can be controlled and that in time the OP's family will get to grips with things and it's nice to show them that things will improve as they get used to it. I think it is possible to be positive about the future, but at the same time acknowledge that things could be difficult in the short term.

I know plenty of people who live normal happy lives with diabetes and I have great admiration for them, but we can't just assume that everyone can blithely sail through life - some diabetics have a very hard time of it.

Off topic a bit and not directed at Missylou personally, but I have come across an attitude from some posters in the past that by claiming DLA for a child, that child will grow up to be a dole scrounger because they have learned that they can get money for being disabled. I'm sorry but this is utter twaddle. For years my son didn't even know about his allowance because he was too young to understand, even now he hasn't asked about the details but he has great plans for a career as a golfer, so I don't accept that receipt of DLA has harmed his work ethic!

I live a full normal life, go to work, pay taxes blah blah despite receiving DLA. The two things aren't mutually exclusive :rolleyes:

This allowance has to be called something and "Disability" is the most apt word to describe the area of your life that is is intended to help. If we took out that emotive word and called it something else, would it be more palatable? As I see it, children with extra needs like diabetes do need that little bit more care and attention than their healthy counterparts, and giving the family a few bob can help them cope with the demands of the new lifestyle.

ohreally

missylou wrote: »

I can catagorically state that it is not and will not be a disability!

Why is it specifically referred to in the Disability Discrimination Act as a defined DDA included condition?

TheWaltons_3

I don't believe it is a Disability either.

My friend is a RMN - Mental Health Nurse. He has Type 1 Diabetes - 4 injections of some stuff he keeps in the Fridge (forget the name). Aside from having a few lumps and bumps where he injects... he's fine. He manages it well and leads a normal life. He is never off work, never poorly....

Diabetes can be controlled. It will only take over your life if you let it.

It may be classed as a Disabilty in some Disabled Dictionary, but it is hardly on par with MS or similar, is it?