Carers allowance & job seekers allowance mentioned in manifesto....

mirry

Hopefully all parties will sit up and take notice of this proposal. It's something that needs addressing.

rogerblack

TELLIT01 wrote: »

I absolutely agree that Carer's Allowance should pay more but it does have to be properly controlled. I've never been able to understand how a person who is in receipt of Higher Rate Care & Mobility on DLA (or the equivalent on PIP) can be an effective carer for anybody. I've seen claims where both partners claim CA for the other with this level of DLA.

My life would be _significantly_ improved if someone was merely available 35 hours a week to 'watch over' me - with no physical intervention at all.
Sure - help with physical stuff in principle might be nice.
But, for me, relapses due to overexertion, and accidents due to attempting things when I am not mentally capable, and the overexertion during these times causing further relapses is the far worse problem.

Caring doesn't only mean helping people into the bath.

GlasweJen

My mum claims carers allowance for me. She works a couple of hours a week self employed but her household income is certainly lower than it would have been if I wasn't ill.

Although I'm at work mum has to be "on call" in case I have a seizure or take ill. I need her to help me wash my hair, get in and out the bath, batch cook meals (though that's gone down a bit since I moved in with the boyfriend). She also takes me to appointments (5 specialists over 3 hospitals), to work (since my access to work support was just never renewed, no letter so can't appeal it), shopping, socialising etc.

bll78

allen35 wrote: »

Carer's Allowance has many holes in the criteria, i would of thought initially the idea was to help disabled persons remain in their own community/homes with additional care from family/friends to support this rather than use day care centres, care homes, hospital, respite, district nurse etc.... without starting a debate I find it hard to understand that a parent/partner would be paid for caring for their own when the above doesn't apply where acknowledgement of caring would be suffice.

So if I understand right you mean if a parent or partner cares for someone they shouldn't need payment because they should care for that person anyway and they should just be acknowledged as a carer?

I understand that as a parent/partner you care for your own, but I don't think you grasp how different that is from caring for someone.

My and OH and I were both in our 30's working full-time, with a more than comfortable income. Then bang my illness reared it's head. He had to leave an 18 year Army career because I couldn't cope at home alone at night. Eventually I had to face facts and leave work (meaning a £20k cut in income, thankfully I was awarded an ill health pension), then it became so bad he had to leave work too (another £35k drop). He used to help shop, clean cook etc.. Now he does everything. He has to get up at night to help me, he mops up bodily fluids, lift me out of the bath, humps my scooter in and out of the car, accompanies me everywhere, give me basic physio (as trained by physio team), apply my patches, and some other things that are too embarrassing to even write on here. For that he gets £61 a week. He always says he could do with going back to work for a rest.
Carers allowance is not some shirkers gravy train, it's something for those that find themselves in a sh&tty position where they cannot work and have to care for someone. I'd go back to where we were in a flash £61 grand a week isn't worth it never mind £61 pounds.

allen35

bll78 wrote: »

So if I understand right you mean if a parent or partner cares for someone they shouldn't need payment because they should care for that person anyway and they should just be acknowledged as a carer?

I understand that as a parent/partner you care for your own, but I don't think you grasp how different that is from caring for someone.

My and OH and I were both in our 30's working full-time, with a more than comfortable income. Then bang my illness reared it's head. He had to leave an 18 year Army career because I couldn't cope at home alone at night. Eventually I had to face facts and leave work (meaning a £20k cut in income, thankfully I was awarded an ill health pension), then it became so bad he had to leave work too (another £35k drop). He used to help shop, clean cook etc.. Now he does everything. He has to get up at night to help me, he mops up bodily fluids, lift me out of the bath, humps my scooter in and out of the car, accompanies me everywhere, give me basic physio (as trained by physio team), apply my patches, and some other things that are too embarrassing to even write on here. For that he gets £61 a week. He always says he could do with going back to work for a rest.
Carers allowance is not some shirkers gravy train, it's something for those that find themselves in a sh&tty position where they cannot work and have to care for someone. I'd go back to where we were in a flash £61 grand a week isn't worth it never mind £61 pounds.

I didn't say it was wrong, just that I find it difficult to understand, in your circumstances I do understand as it takes away the care that would of been provided by physio's, district nurse and it enabled you to remain in the community, In my earlier post I am all for Carer's being allowed to earn more and keeping their entitlement to CA.

Once again don't disagree just find it difficult to understand that other disabilities that meet the criteria for MRC of DLA/PIP but don't need the level of support you require(d)

FBaby

Although I'm at work mum has to be "on call" in case I have a seizure or take ill. I need her to help me wash my hair, get in and out the bath, batch cook meals (though that's gone down a bit since I moved in with the boyfriend). She also takes me to appointments (5 specialists over 3 hospitals), to work (since my access to work support was just never renewed, no letter so can't appeal it), shopping, socialising etc.

Sorry Jen, I know that you've been through hell with your health, so this is not a judgement on you, but I do find it totally ludicrous that your mum could claim to be caring for you 35 hours a week on the basis of what you wrote above. You live with your boyfriend and work, yet somehow around all this, she cares for you 35 hours? How much of this is the 'on call'? Being on call is not caring, unless she is call out on a daily basis. You live with your boyfriend but your mum cooks for you? Many boyfriends cook for their girlfriend every day as part of their relationship, so don't understand why your mum doing it becomes a caring duty.

GwylimT

I only work part time as my wife is severely disabled, she has partial paralysis and a weak upper body so she struggles with simple tasks, unlike some physically disabled people she can't do things lik toileting alone or even put a t-shirt on.

She works part time as a lecturer, the person who cares for her while at work costs us £12 an hour, her employer pays for the remaining £4. My wife is very lucky as her condition can be managed so her disability doesn't worsen, to be able to continue using her arms and being able to move her legs she has weekly physio, the NHS wont fund this so it costs us £800 a week, they will however allow her to become completely immobile at which point they would kindly give her a tracheotomy.

To provide the basics of a carer at work and life saving physio costs more than my wifes wage and DLA award.

When my wife is at home I have to do everything for her apart from the very basic such as changing the tv channel. If for som reason there comes a point where we cannot afford my wifes physio and for a carer she will end up in residential care that will cost the state a hell of a lot of money.

Yet the fact that we work so hard to keep her well and in work is apparently worth £0. For us carers allowance would make a huge difference.

nannytone_2

i think some people just see the money thats awarded and don't really understand what caring is.
sorry Jen, but i am using what you said, and the reaction to it as an example.

so Jen works ( because of the care she receives). her mum is only available to be 'on call' because she receives carers allowance. she obviously does a lot more than simply be 'on call', but having that clearly enables Hen a degree of normality and consistency in her life. obviously if her mother worked she wouldn't be available when needed then it would either cost a LOT more money to facilitate Jens job, or she would have to give up work leading to even higher costs.
the fact that her mum is willing to put her own life on hold to give her a certain quality of life is to be applauded and not criticised for costing £60 a week!

as for disabled people claiming CA for each other ,,,,
yes i appreciate that this can lead to abuse, but in many cases it is totally understandable.
i used to look after my father in law ( with much help from my PA)
i never claimed carers, but i could have.
he was frail, with breathing and walking difficulties.
i am blind but physically fit.
i could make him dinner with his guidance. i could do his washing with his guidance. i could take him up the pub in his wheelchair ALONE, because he could tell me when the road was clear and where i needed to go.
there are numerous examples of how i cared for him, and he also cared for me to a lesser degree.
i used to spend the best part of 4 days of every week with him, sorting his medication, cleaning, laundry etc...
so because i am disabled myself i wasn't performing the role of his carer?

FBaby

but having that clearly enables Hen a degree of normality and consistency in her life. obviously if her mother worked she wouldn't be available when needed then it would either cost a LOT more money to facilitate Jens job, or she would have to give up work leading to even higher costs.

That might be true, but it doesn't make sense to me. If Jen's mum can't work because of the fact that at time (and we don't know how often) she might be called to look after Jen, then surely Jen couldn't hold her job for the same reason?

I do feel bad using your case Jen to illustrate where I think the system is wrong because I know how far you've come, but to me, it shows how unregulated CA is and how it could be used differently much more productively in many cases.

FBaby

i could make him dinner with his guidance. i could do his washing with his guidance. i could take him up the pub in his wheelchair ALONE, because he could tell me when the road was clear and where i needed to go.

But wouldn't that also justify the opposite, that together, you are managing to support each other, and therefore do not need additional money to do so?