Mum full time carer to my dad - what can she claim?

jolly-jen

My dad is very ill and is described as being under palliative care. He has just come out of hospital and is now back at home. My mum is now finding it increasingly harder to care for him and has looked into employing carers to help her wash, change his sheets etc. Social care came around yesterday, with lists of carers etc. They said that a carer costs £13.50 and hour, but basically my mum would have to employ 2 at a time to wash him etc. as it is not a 1 person job, so basically my mum would have to pay £27 an hour for help. They stated due to insurance etc., she herself would not be allowed to assist.
Apparently, if you have less than £21K in the bank, you do not get charged in full for these costs, but my parents have more than this so would have to pay the full amount themselves.
My dad claims the higher rate of incapacity benefit, but that is all. My mum does not claim carers allowance, for some reason she thinks she is not entitled to it, but I have looked into it and cannot see why not. She does not work and does receive a state pension, but I think that is about it. I do not know if they take into account your savings when claiming carers allowance. I have tried phoning the benefits office, but they are very vague and without knowing the full extent of my parents money situation, it is hard to answer some of their questions.
Basically, is there anyone out there who has been in a similar situation and know if there are any loopholes etc. or other avenues that they may be allowed to claim through at all to help them assist with the costs of paying for extra carers? Would really appreciate any help!

dmg24

Are you parents over 65? As your mum is in receipt of a pension, I'll assume they are. If not, the information would differ.

Your father needs to apply for Attendance Allowance. If he gets this, your mother will be able to claim Carer's Allowance. However, CA is only £46.85 a week, and if her pension is more than this, she will not receive anything.

There are no loopholes in this situation I'm afraid, having just been through this situation with my Gran it does seem that the system positively discourages people saving for their old age.

If your father is under 65, he would need to claim Disability Living Allowance.

Have a read of the links, then if there is anything else you need to ask, you know where we are x

jolly-jen

My dad is 67 and gets the higher rate of attendance allowance. My mum is 63 and does get a pension, am not sure how much but will find out. Does this make any difference at all?

lofty_cherrytree

If your father is under Palliative Care, does he have a Macmillan nurse? They will be able to advise on benefits and help with the form filling. If there is any urgency to a claim then it should be sorted out quickly. If there is no Macmillan nurse involved, then someone from social services should come out and be able to advise and help your mum fill out the forms etc. Hope you get something sorted out as your mother must be eligible.

dmg24

As your father is under Palliative Care, the claim for Carers Allowance will be made a priority. Your GP will be able to give you a form to send with your application. However, as stated above, if the pension is above £46.85 per week, she will not qualify, and anything that she receives below £46.85 will be deducted (i.e. she will be topped up to £46.85).

You really need to have a read of the links in post #2. It should answer most of your questions.

rachnbri

dmg24 wrote: »

However, as stated above, if the pension is above £46.85 per week, she will not qualify, and anything that she receives below £46.85 will be deducted (i.e. she will be topped up to £46.85).

Are you sure that's right? I thought you could have "earnings" of up to £95/wk before there was any effect on CA? I had assumed that any pension would be treated the same?

dmg24

You can earn up to £95 a week. However, income from certain benefits, including the state pension are deducted from the £46.85.

Please read the links given!

rachnbri

dmg24 wrote: »

You can earn up to £95 a week. However, income from certain benefits, including the state pension are deducted from the £46.85.

Please read the links given!

Couldn't make sense of them - thanks for clarifying.