MSE News: Disability and carer's allowance claimaints to suffer as inflation falls

SnooksNJ

belladonna13 wrote: »

What a state of affairs when some in a supposedly caring society are so sure that some disabled people are not so disabled and should not have a car or the rate of benefit they get. Yet many who have had those things taken from them have taken their own lives or in a few cases starved to death. All those who have implemented and stood by and watched the implementation of a very obviously deeply flawed piece of legislation, The Welfare Reform Bill, must share some of the responsibility for the state of affairs we are in now in and the loss of lives and the limitations of other lives of those disabled people who could not cope and cannot cope with being made to feel like parasites on the backs of the taxpayers!

I am not saying that welfare reform was not needed and I am not saying that there are not sad people who mimic or lie to receive disability benefits. Yet the figures are what? 0.5% disability benefit fraud. I am sure some will jump on me if I am wrong there. Even if it is higher it still means that very few people in the context of many genuine disabled people are actually defrauding the system and so the taxpayer. Then figure in the many genuine disabled who do work and pay into that system. Then look at the harshness of the welfare bill and the ways in which in its implementation some who have been genuinely disabled have been treated. Was that much reform really needed?

Tomorrow it could be any one of those who are obviously begrudging, jealous, angry at what disabled people get, who becomes themselves disabled or their child or OH. Yet it was mainly disabled people who took action and tried to stop the bill. Why is that? Are we not suppose to all be in this together? Can you not see how very easily healthy fit working people can become disabled? No-one is immune. It is not a us and them situation. We are them and they are us. Humans at various states of abilities and various states of both physical and mental health that is what we are. All doing the best we can!

No-one on here is medically qualified to know for sure someone's true level of disability who is a friend, a neighbour or whoever.If people 'think' their close friend is in effect playing the system why not challenge that close friend? Why seethe with anger and annoyance behind your close friends back? That is kind of sick to me!

Saying someone does not need the financial help because they have other means like an high income is a moot point since David Cameron claimed DLA for his late son Ivan and what is Camerons true worth?

I do not think for one minute that there are truly many individuals who work who would wish the disabled dead and I never actually said that, did I? I said and I quote myself '

Its OK though for the taxpayer is now saving money because he died last year at the age of 36 and joined his brother who had died 3 years previously at the age of 38 or so with MS. I am sure many disabled live comparatively short life spans to the non-disabled'


It was a reference to him spending his taxpayer funded disability money on a packet of baccy. He was also my friend and I feel bitter about the way he was treated by know-it-alls. I am sure the three men who beat him up and left him unconscious in a local park because they had found out he had been given DLA and they thought he was lying did not really care too much about his well-being! That was when he could still walk with a stick. Now that is sickening, very sickening, but then I find any hate crime sickening be it physical or verbal!

I never even thought when I was working with many disabled children and young adults and paying my dues that I would ever be in the position where I would see, from the disabled persons view, such vitriol towards some of the most vulnerable members of our society by those who have no knowledge of the true and harsh realities of disability for many.

Look beyond the shiny care and the extra benefits. You do not see what is happening behind closed doors you do not feel the pain or the limitations placed on an individual through disability the grinding down through the inability to do the simplest tasks or the sometimes very messy and degrading business of having someone attend to your personal bodily needs.

My friend who is paralysed was able to use the toilet on his own for his bowel movements but needed to insert pessaries in order to do so. He would need approximately 2 hours sat on the toilet each morning. He already had a urine bag.

He was then trying a different device to try to cut down the time needed for the bowel part of his needs. It malfunctioned and exploded in his rectum and caused enough damage to not only put him in intensive care where it was touch and go but also to necessitate the need for a colostomy bag.

I saw him cry because that was yet another 'normal' thing he could not do. Hard to take when all he wanted was a degree of control over his bowel movements. Some only see what they want to see, often based on scant knowledge of any of the true issues that impact on those with disabilities.

I cannot educate you you can only choose to either educate yourself around issues that those with disabilities need to deal with or you can carry on believing what some of the media will have you believe, what the woman at number 7 said or what you heard at work off someone's auntie who knows someone who is not really disabled and yet claims DLA and went abroad.

Carry on judging based on a very, very small sample of people with disabilities who you actually know or know of and find them guilty of fraud. Ignore the truth if it does not fit into your very narrow views, but if the day comes that you become disabled and need DLA or need other disability benefits, expect that you will also be harshly judged because you are a part of the perpetuation of so many myths around disability.

To the unenlightened those myths are reality and if they read it in the paper it must be true and any of the real truth is lost in the telling!

I understand it's hard to see a friend die but your ire should be with the disgusting people who beat your friend up and not me.
Maybe you should direct your anger and passion about DLA into a positive like running for political office and make a change.

Credit-Crunched

nannytone wrote: »

i go on holiday twice a year to somerset. just on the borders of north devon,,, a beautiful part of the country.
before anyone starts to spit blood... i go to visit my parents!
i book train tickets well in advance and it usually costs about £30 return each time.
i bet there are still some people that think i shouldnt be 'wasting taxpayers money' on those unecessary trips!

Twice more than me working full time

schrodie

wildwestfan wrote: »

Wonder if WFA has kept up with inflation?

It hasn't like the £10 christmas bonus hasn't. Next question.

belladonna13

pipkin71 wrote: »

Have there actually been cases where benefits claimants have starved to death? The cause of death was starvation?

Google search 'How many have died through starvation due to loss of benefits'. Will bring up the statistics of those who have died since the introduction of the act. Two that I know of have starved to death due to a direct result of withdrawal of benefits.

It is quite hard to separate the wheat from the chaff and know exactly what verdicts were returned at the inquests, but all the relevant information is there to see.

There are figures of over 10,000+ dying after the withdrawal of disability benefits since the Welfare Reform Act but many of those would have been terminal and would have died in any case. Although it disgusts me that ATOS could have got it so wrong that they withdrew benefits from the terminally ill. Many, sadly, are also due to suicide.

I fear there are too many myths from both sides now in the debate over disability benefits. So it needs some very careful studying to separate that wheat from the chaff and find the real truth!

belladonna13

SnooksNJ wrote: »

I understand it's hard to see a friend die but your ire should be with the disgusting people who beat your friend up and not me.
Maybe you should direct your anger and passion about DLA into a positive like running for political office and make a change.

I am sorry that I quoted you at the top of my post. I wanted only to reply to you that I had not actually said that I felt those working wished the disabled dead.

My ire was not with you but with all who keep asking the same old same old question over who is truly disabled. When steps are obviously under way to try to decide that, although the HCP that are used at the medicals are not what they should be. See again I digress. So easy to do when one feels passionate about an issue.

Know though that my post, apart from a little part was not intended solely for you, and I once again apologise that that is the way it appeared.

I have fought all my life for what I believe in and for the rights of certain minority groups. I am too old now and far too tired to run for political office. So occasionally, when I am able, I become what my son calls a 'keyboard warrior' and even that tires me out!

Indie_Kid

It's also possible that they died due to a completely unrelated reason. But hey, let's not that get in the way...

bloolagoon

belladonna13 wrote: »

Google search 'How many have died through starvation due to loss of benefits'. Will bring up the statistics of those who have died since the introduction of the act. Two that I know of have starved to death due to a direct result of withdrawal of benefits.

It is quite hard to separate the wheat from the chaff and know exactly what verdicts were returned at the inquests, but all the relevant information is there to see.

There are figures of over 10,000+ dying after the withdrawal of disability benefits since the Welfare Reform Act but many of those would have been terminal and would have died in any case. Although it disgusts me that ATOS could have got it so wrong that they withdrew benefits from the terminally ill. Many, sadly, are also due to suicide.

I fear there are too many myths from both sides now in the debate over disability benefits. So it needs some very careful studying to separate that wheat from the chaff and find the real truth!

I googled and am not getting any such statistics just pages on the benefits (or lack of) in starving yourself. Can you provide a link please?

Tropez

Scully38 wrote: »

Well said! I think quite a few people who don't 'care' for others have a rather simplistic view. I base this on my family rather than anyone elses. I cared for my dad when he had terminal cancer 10 years ago, and for my mom 9 years ago as my mom was paraplegic due to breaking her neck.

I used to work extended hours, 12 hours over 3 days so that I could be there for the majority of the time. Both my parents needed completely different care, mobility needs, medication, dietry requirements, hospital, doctor, pallitive appointments, but that's ok as all you do as a carer is sit and chat with the person you're caring for. Not only that, but carers never have to get out of bed in the night, because the person you care for is able to sleep for minimally 8hrs a night. So your sleep is never disturbed, you don't need to hoist them onto the commode at 3 in the morning, or roll them over in the night as they're screaming in pain, or give them extra medication, or even do several different meals because the chemo makes your dad/mom/sister/brother/aunt/uncle/friend etc makes them nauseous, or make them vomiting because of the smell. And to go outside and got to various appointments or taking the person you care for out for a few hours so they don't go stir crazy looking at the same 4 walls. Sure it only takes a few hours to get them read, get the equipment ready then get yourself ready......

But we didn't/don't do very much do we Tropez (and other carers)

*gets of her soapbox*

Well I don't do it myself but carers have my utmost respect for what they do. Earlier this year, my wife suffered an injury and I needed to take on the role of looking after her for a few months and honestly, it was.. difficult I think would be a fair way to put it. I've absolutely no issue with doing it, of course, but yeah, nothing but respect for people who do it every day for years. It's an incredible burden and a huge position of responsibility to have the welfare of another person in your hands.

SnooksNJ wrote: »

Yes I have taken care of my Grandmother and if the time came I would do it for my parents. My personal belief is it's what family members do and it's about love. Not Government payouts.
But I'm old school and I get it that times have changed.

In the case of my friend she has done what she has done for at least ten years now. She isn't doing it for government payouts but surely you would agree that she does need an income? She does need to pay for household expenses, she does need new clothes now and again. Bills aren't paid with love. Clothes aren't bought with love.

Based on what I was able to find online just now about carer's allowance, she gets about £61 a week probably topped up to £100 a week with IS. Wow, £400 a month. Yep, everyone must be doing it for the government payouts.

And she must have saved the government/local authority a small fortune in care home fees by now.

I'm willing to wager some of the people who complain about "taxpayers" money going on benefits don't work anywhere near as hard as some carers.

Credit-Crunched

belladonna13 wrote: »

Google search 'How many have died through starvation due to loss of benefits'. Will bring up the statistics of those who have died since the introduction of the act. Two that I know of have starved to death due to a direct result of withdrawal of benefits.

It is quite hard to separate the wheat from the chaff and know exactly what verdicts were returned at the inquests, but all the relevant information is there to see.

There are figures of over 10,000+ dying after the withdrawal of disability benefits since the Welfare Reform Act but many of those would have been terminal and would have died in any case. Although it disgusts me that ATOS could have got it so wrong that they withdrew benefits from the terminally ill. Many, sadly, are also due to suicide.

I fear there are too many myths from both sides now in the debate over disability benefits. So it needs some very careful studying to separate that wheat from the chaff and find the real truth!

Google "was Elvis and alien" and you will get some compelling facts about that too!

Also try googling "how many people end up in an early grave due to working their fingers to the bone in low paid jobs with no help from the state, whilst their workshy benefiting seeking neighbours enjoy 3 holidays a year and the latest gadgets"

belladonna13

Credit-Crunched wrote: »

Google "was Elvis and alien" and you will get some compelling facts about that too!

Also try googling "how many people end up in an early grave due to working their fingers to the bone in low paid jobs with no help from the state, whilst their workshy benefiting seeking neighbours enjoy 3 holidays a year and the latest gadgets"

You need to grow up, my friend. This is a serious subject and involves the loss and potential loss of lives. Not some immature urban myths!