Unfair carers costs 5 July 2018 at 4:10PM in Disability money matters 11 replies 3.1K views

Mikebarlow2

My mum had a spinal operation last year that left her paralyzed from the waste down, she has had a care package in place for the past 7 months and has now been told that she has to pay £85 a week leaving her with only £100 a month to live on, she is totally gutted about this as her husbands pension(my dads) has been taken into consideration.

Is there anything that can be done?

Any advice im grateful for!

Carrot007

Mikebarlow2 wrote: »

she is totally gutted about this as her husbands pension(my dads) has been taken into consideration.

Is there anything that can be done?

Divorce I would assume,

Mikebarlow2

We mentioned that but again isnt really fair is it they've been married 30 yrs

tomtom256

Any income is counted towards care costs, it's the way the system is.


Is there no benefits in payment i.e. PIP, DLA, ESA etc if applicable that can assist towards the costs?

kingfisherblue

Mikebarlow2 wrote: »

My mum had a spinal operation last year that left her paralyzed from the waste down, she has had a care package in place for the past 7 months and has now been told that she has to pay £85 a week leaving her with only £100 a month to live on, she is totally gutted about this as her husbands pension(my dads) has been taken into consideration.

Is there anything that can be done?

Any advice im grateful for!

Presumably the £100 left to live on is from any income of her own, and there is still your dad's income? For married couples, or those living as a married couple, the joint income is taken into consideration.


Your parents might want to contact local welfare advisors and have a benefits check.


Also, assuming that your mum is using a wheelchair indoors, their council tax can be reduced by one band. This might help financially.

retiredandskint

That doesn't sound right. Contact either CAB or, of old enough, Age Concern for a financial check.

sleepy14

We are in the same boat I'm afraid. I have advanced MS and am paralysed from the waist down and have been for a couple of years. I use a wheelchair to get around our house, but to do so we had to use our savings to pay for the alterations, this is because if you have savings over £20££ thousand and something, everything is at your own expense. Because I cannot use my legs and am too heavy to lift we had to install ceiling hoists to do all necessary transfers (our own expense), fair enough you say, but then if you need to employ carers for showering etc you have to employ 2, because when using a hoist, under health and safety regs you need 2. This when you consider carers cost about £13 an hour x 2 it soon mounts up.


I believe carers and nurses are underpaid and our social care has to be paid by someone. I have no answers but thats my story

Cyclamen

I think (but not well enough to double check and find quotes) that a married person can be assessed singly or jointly which ever is most favourable when sorting care costs. You'd need to look at the care act.

Have disability related expensese been deducted. These are genuine costs (usually with reciepts) that you Mum has because of disability. e.g specialist equipment she pays for, continence supplies, adapted clothing etc.

When they calculate her income PIP mobility should be ignored and if she does not recieve a care package for nightime hours the enhanced part of the daily living PP is discounted.

It is wellw orth double checking calculations.. and quoting any legislation. I had my contribution reduced dramatically as my council try to ignore the PIP rule above.

GlasweJen

Yes do make sure she's been assessed properly and make sure dad's been assessed too. Have they looked at his deductions such as his travel to work and his costs such as expenses for work other commitments? Our local authority didn't allow my husband any allowance for travel even though he's a junior doctor working at 3 hospitals in the Highlands and Islands, we had to get his HR team to write a letter in the end and back it up with petrol receipts and his ferry pass.

They will absolutely try everything to push the cost onto you as they are pratted but make sure the assessment is done right.

If your mum is using a wheelchair indoors she should have her council tax reduced by a band, it's a form you can download from your councils web page and signed by the GP.

Your father is also entitled to a carers assessment, make sure this is done separate to your mums assessment and some of his income gets ring fenced for his leisure activities.

Sorry to say this might just be the start of a long saga as these things are assessed every few years and it's the same arguments every time.

antrobus

Mikebarlow2 wrote: »

My mum had a spinal operation last year that left her paralyzed from the waste down, she has had a care package in place for the past 7 months and has now been told that she has to pay £85 a week leaving her with only £100 a month to live on, she is totally gutted about this as her husbands pension(my dads) has been taken into consideration.

Is there anything that can be done?

Any advice im grateful for!

The statutory guidance confirms that your local authority ‘has no power to assess couples or civil partners according to their joint resources.Each person must therefore be treated individually’.

Factsheet 46 Paying for care and support at home April 2018
https://www.ageuk.org.uk/globalassets/age-uk/documents/factsheets/fs46_paying_for_care_and_support_at_home_fcs.pdf

50Twuncle

It would appear that your mother is allowed £288.60 per WEEK in disregarded income - as she is in a couple - as far as costs are concerned - PLUS any DLA / PIP that she claims
So - I would take the matter much further
If you get nowhere with DWP - try your MP