benefits and ME

ifonlyitwaseasier

a friends spouse has recently been diagnose with ME and has had to cut their working hours by half, this means they are struggling a bit and my friend is working two jobs, but then worrying about OH and if they are ok when left alone, ( friend came home and found OH lying on the floor because they felt dizzy and couldn't get to a chair so lay down for 30-40 mins instead)

is there anything they could claim? married couple no kids, think they own there own home (well mortgage)

tia

healy

If they have care and mobilitly needs thay could try claiming for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) but it is generally quite difficult to make a successful claim for ME though people do receive it for ME, but often have to attend an appeal to be successful.

ifonlyitwaseasier

thanks healy,

my friend said that on a bad day OH can barely do anything, ie get up.

i'll mention it subtly in convo and suggest they ask the OH's doc for help with it

Mojisola

See if the council has any Welfare Officers who will help fill in the forms. If not, try DIAL or CAB. It's very hard to fill in the forms when you have an illness that fluctuates like ME - they shouldn't try to do it themselves.

Action for ME and the ME Association have advisory leaflets about claiming benefits which will get them thinking along the right lines.

Your friend's OH needs to understand that constantly pushing his/herself will result in the illness becoming worse. It may be that a period off work will be necessary. The two national organisations have lots of information and there may also be a local group they could join to get help from the personal experiences of others.

ifonlyitwaseasier

thank you Mojisola

i'm going to have a chat with them later.