Terminally ill brother - Family members in need of advice

Sirlaughalot

Hi Guys,

My 70-year-old brother has just been diagnosed as terminally ill and bedridden at home and is being cared for by his wife(doing a fantastic job) who is now working PT as their income/pension is above the threshold to get free home care assistance.

To further complicate their financial position their twin daughters have just started university(of which we are all extremely proud as they are the first members of our family to achieve this in our living memory)but the combined accommodation cost for both is well over £1000+ per month.

Whilst my brother has left most things covered financially including Power of attorney, wills and probate issues after he passes away.

My sister - in - law has had a terrible year with the loss of her mother in May so i`m trying to help as much as i can with general help and maintenance in the house but this kind of financial help is out of my budget.

Thanks to this site and MSE members i am quite financially savvy now and have tried to help them where i can

If anyone can help regarding the financial issues and maybe how to get help with my niece's accommodation costs we will be truly grateful.

Many Thanks

Savvy_Sue

It is possible to get an in-year assessment of student finance if circumstances change so I'd definitely suggest your nieces look into that.

They could also speak to Student Welfare / Student Support / whatever it's called where they are, via the Students Union, to see if there are funds they can draw on.

They should also make their tutors aware of the situation.

One final thought: when my lads went to Uni there were some extra grants available if you were the first in your family to go to Uni. I think they were administered through the university admin not the Students Union, and they may not be available everywhere / any more.

Power of Attorney can be tricksy, because the attorney has to act in the person's best interests, and clearly there may be a conflict between that and the needs of the family ... but you know it ceases immediately on death?

I am sorry for the difficult situation you all find yourselves in.

Sirlaughalot

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

It is possible to get an in-year assessment of student finance if circumstances change so I'd definitely suggest your nieces look into that.

They could also speak to Student Welfare / Student Support / whatever it's called where they are, via the Students Union, to see if there are funds they can draw on.

They should also make their tutors aware of the situation.

One final thought: when my lads went to Uni there were some extra grants available if you were the first in your family to go to Uni. I think they were administered through the university admin not the Students Union, and they may not be available everywhere / any more.

Power of Attorney can be tricksy, because the attorney has to act in the person's best interests, and clearly there may be a conflict between that and the needs of the family ... but you know it ceases immediately on death?

I am sorry for the difficult situation you all find yourselves in.

I`m so grateful for your words of help and concern for our family

Primrose

What a difficult and distressing situation for your nieces, and indeed your sister in law.
I wonder if it's worth checking with their local Council Education Department to see if there are any special grants available to students in exceptionally difficult circumstances. Sometimes there might be special bursaries available which are not generally known about.


it's a difficult situation for you all to be in and I send you my sympathy.

krlyr

Yes, definitely check grants, my brother was the only one of us to go to Uni but got some grants/help as my mum was a single parent on a low income at the time. Perhaps there's someone in the administration office or a student support type member of staff they could speak to, to find out what internal and external grants/other forms of help are available?

Tabbytabitha

If your brother isn't already claiming Attendance Allowance he should apply immediately under the "special rules" for people who are terminally ill. Depending on the amount your SIL earns, she could then claim Carer's Allowance as well.

nimbo

On here there used to be a grant finder for students.

Some were ridiculously specific - so if your dad was a fishermen from hull you could apply. I applied for one and was awarded about 400 - not a kings ransome but enough to help me buy food for a while.

nimbo

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/grants-education

It might be here.

Sirlaughalot

Thanks for all your help guys I will investigate you solutions and speak to the girls when they arrive home for there Xmas break.

In the meantime, while lying in bed this morning i was thinking of area`s i could save my relations money and the issue of PPI raised it`s ugly head again(Which thanks to MSE i was able to reclaim about 5 years ago).

I know my brother and his wife have always had jobs with large organizations/companies and i know they are probably massively over-insured so my guess is PPI miss-selling claims may be justified.

For sure they have a managed current account with Lloyds bank which looks suspect.

A lot of adverts on TV state that they can find PPI claims without you knowing little or no knowledge of the policies involved

Can we find this information ourselves and would any claims of the miss-selling end when my brother passes away or can they be transferred to his wife?

Thanks again

Savvy_Sue

Fairly sure any claims paid out after death would pass into his estate, and thus (presumably) to his wife, and if not his wife however the estate has been left.

The managed account may not be suspect, I don't bank with them but I do pay for an account (no longer available) with Smile which gives me travel insurance, breakdown insurance and gadget insurance. I've used the first two and I do regularly check that there isn't a better option, but haven't found one so far. You're right to check, but don't automatically assume it was mis-sold.

maman

I'm so sorry to hear what your family is going through. And I'd like to congratulate you on trying to help wherever you can.:)


Could you clarify this which I'm not sure I understood:

Sirlaughalot wrote: »

My 70-year-old brother has just been diagnosed as terminally ill and bedridden at home and is being cared for by his wife(doing a fantastic job) who is now working PT as their income/pension is above the threshold to get free home care assistance.

Do you mean that the combined husband's pension plus wife's FT income is too high for any free care? And then that because of this your SIL has gone part time to give her time for caring duties? And still their income is too high for any support?


I believe that Attendance Allowance is based on the illness rather than income. Are you claiming this?


That's compared with Carer's Allowance which has a ceiling on weekly earnings which your SIL may exceed even in her part time job.


Sorry for all the questions but I wouldn't want your family to be missing out.